The Rocks Pop-Up Project

The Rocks has a bit of a reputation as a tourist trap. Warranted or not, this conception is about to get a shake up thanks to a new pilot project by Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and Arts NSW that has recently received a $15,000 grant from the State Government. The premise of the Rocks Pop-Up Project is simple: emerging designers and creative groups will be given short-term use of vacant buildings in the area to set up pop-up shops, galleries, workshops and workspaces.  

Though the concept is simple, the project is a clever development for a number of reasons. Most obviously, it offers its creatives an affordable, well positioned platform to exhibit, sell or develop their wares. This outcome is how the project originally began to take shape. Spearheaded in part by the Rocks Markets manager, Cathy Levins, the initiative is a natural progression from the umbrella-and-trestle set-up at the weekly Rocks Markets.

Artists and designers that man their own stalls have been approached to take on pop-up spaces within 47 George St, a vacant sandstone warehouse that dates back to 1843. The same direct-to-customer format will apply here, but the spaces are bigger, can be curated better and are available each day. "Selling directly to your customer allows you to explain and express the product in the best possible way," explains Angus Zhao, AHW Studio designer and the Rocks Pop-Up Project participant. "We are the only ones that know what went on behind the scenes and how the piece was made."

Bringing edgy, up-and-coming creatives into this space and other vacant shops in the surrounding cobblestoned streets will also benefit long-term leasing strategies within the Rocks. Though the precinct does not struggle to fill its retail spaces, the demand and competition in the area will increase. In a similar vein to Renew Newcastle, a project that saw struggling shopfronts repurposed as cheap commercial and creative opportunities in Newcastle's Hunter Street Mall, the Rocks Pop-Up Project will bring a little edgy and engaging buzz back into the area.

Levins and company also hope some of the participants will see the experience as the push they need to expand their business. "I would love to have a standalone store and a strong list of boutiques carrying my brand," says Naomi Swalwell, designer of fashion label Mae & Pearl. "Surrounding yourself with strong, positive and uplifting people is very important for sustaining and growing a business."

Other project participants will include Gaffa and Information and Culture Exchange (ICE), two collaborative communities that work across many disciplines to foster a dynamic creative community. Gaffa and ICE represent a new kind of industry for The Rocks precinct. "We're looking forward to bringing what we do to a whole new audience and community," says Gaffa's initiative director Kelly Robson. "In particular the thriving international guests who frequent the Rocks as well as locals who visit on the weekends." The new residents will push the precinct to evolve, like Danks Street in Waterloo and Cleveland Street in Redfern, into a thriving cluster of commercial and creative ventures.

It is, after all, positioned as the perfect pit stop on the way to other cultural pursuits. Those heading to events at the MCA, Cockatoo Island, Fashion Week or Vivid this month have no excuse not to swing by. And with parties, gigs, tours, workshops and open days all in the pipeline, the project is shaping up to be a very exciting initiative indeed.

Pop-Up Projects George St, The Rocks 2000. From 14 May

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