6.5 Sydney Style
“ I would argue that if there is such a thing as ‘Sydney style’, it lies in the character and attitude of the people.” (Parkes 2004; p.3)
Sydney does have a strong sense of style, it may be found most commonly within the interior design and architecture of the city.
On a smaller scale though, for a city obsessed with fashion and looking beautiful it seems strange that designers don’t look to the city for inspiration. They are influenced certainly by living in Sydney, aspects of the lifestyle and culture are subtly incorporated into the way people work. Object Gallery’s exhibition ‘Sydney Style’ looked at a number of design practitioners who were based in Sydney and their work. For most of them it was the atmosphere, culture and opportunities of Sydney that they valued most. The natural environment and the mix of cultures figure strongly in designer’s inspirations. Design in Sydney though tends to be focused towards producing stylish objects for ourselves, architecture, fashion, furniture and other objects for the interior. When it comes to smaller objects that directly represent Sydney as a city and are suitable to act as mementos of a visitors experience of Sydney there is far less choice. 20
20. From observation conducted around the shops around particular tourist precints such as the Rocks/Circular Quay and also from enquiries made at Object Gallery Shop in regards to Sydney specific souvenirs/objects.
