FORM

Sydney's forgotten spaces are about to come to life as a series of 'urban art interventions' take place in the City's laneways from October to late January 2010. Eight of Sydney's busy thoroughfares and overlooked accessways will be transformed into places meditating on sustainability, including a miniature forest, a seven metre high bar (to reflect the future impact of climate change), soundtracks of displaced birdsongs, and a mini outdoor cinema.

The project was initiated in response to recommendations made in Jan Gehl's Sydney Public Space, Public Life report, and The Fine Grain: Revitalising Sydney's Lanes by Six Degrees Architects. This year, Hidden Networks was curated by urban designer Dr Steffen Lehmann, who 'has a particular interest in sustainable strategies for urban regeneration of the post-industrial city, and creative re-use of existing structures'.¹

Eight projects were chosen out of 68 submissions, focusing on 'collaboration, sustainability and the changing role of public spaces'; they were 'created by interdisciplinary teams including artists, architects, urban designers, landscape architects, and others such as musicians, poets, a scientist and a lawyer'.²