A relaxing space for a reflective practice at the museum.
Rating: 4.5/5
If you stroll along the streets around Martin Place, you would have stumbled across this museum: the Museum of Sydney. Located in the Central Business District of the city, it blended so well with the surrounding commercial buildings that you would think it is one of them. Its noticeable existence as a museum is hinted at by the ad banners showing exhibitions of the month.
Its hallway tells the story of the city. To invite you on a historical journey, its floor was a decorative excavation site displaying some of the treasures unearthed during the development of the place. The building has a simple structure with stairs on two sides leading to showrooms on three floors. The first floor was mainly about the course of history, the conversion of a land into a government house in Sydney, and how it evolved over the years.
The interesting part of the museum is that it uses interactive art to emphasise not just the city’s development but also the land and the people. On the second floor, you would find an elongated showroom with a digital board on the wall that mimics Australia’s natural environment: the sea and forests. The bench was also designed using traditional local patterns, paying respect to the country people and their culture.
The interesting digital showroom at the upper floor.
My favourite part of the museum is actually the outlook point next to the open space. Perched on the third floor, it was a room with full glass, giving you an elevated view of the CBD: you could see the Deloitte building right in front of you across the road, and the commercial buildings stretching towards the Sydney Opera House. Adorned with poems on the wall, it served as a reflective space for considering how business activities affect the natural environment, one of today’s biggest sustainability themes.
The museum also comes with a stylish café. It is decorated with orange art mosaics, which have an 80s retro New York touch. The menu was well designed with selected gourmet pastries and coffee. The staff was very friendly. It complemented the historical museum well.
It is a place for people looking for a quieter museum in the city. The café itself is probably a hidden Instagram-worthy photo spot.
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