The Powerhouse Parramatta will open to the public on Saturday with The Mall, an immersive exhibition exploring the shopping centre's place in western Sydney history, as part of a five-show launch for the $1 billion museum.
The Mall is an immense, immersive two-storey exhibition that winds its way through different eras of shopping, with visitors entering through a space designed to resemble a car park and greeted by an electric neon sign for Parramall, the shopping strip that opened in the 1980s. The museum obtained the sign from Sydney Metro; Parramall stood on the site of the Parramatta metro station, due to open in 2032. From there the show charts window displays, payment systems, fashion and familiar brands, with some reconstructed history complete with neon signs and fountains.
It is the first western Sydney-focused exhibition at the Powerhouse, and one of five exhibitions launching the Parramatta campus. Gemma Savio, head of exhibitions curatorial, said the show focused on the architecture and cultural phenomenon of the shopping mall. "The premise for this exhibition came out of the fact that Frank Lowy was really responsible for the generation of the shopping mall and the transformation of retail spaces," she said. "And that model has really changed the way that we spend time buying things, receiving things, and transacting with one another."
Lowy started Westfield in Blacktown in 1959, with that first centre hosting 13 stores and a car park capacity of 90. From there it expanded across Sydney and the rest of the country, reshaping many suburbs in western Sydney.
The exhibition will feature more than 1350 objects, from old signs and cash registers to eftpos machines and old Myer gift cards, and shopfronts from brands that partnered with the Powerhouse, including Oroton, David Jones, R.M. Williams and Sportsgirl. A Powerhouse spokesperson said any exhibition on “Australian retail culture would be incomplete without presenting some of the brands and retail experiences that have shaped them”. “‘Arcade’ in The Mall highlights [the] skilled practice of window dressing and visual merchandising,” they said.
Other opening shows include The Dark, an immersive exhibition for children aged four to 12, Es Devlin: The Turning, the First Nations-led Overflow and Task Eternal, focused on aerospace history. The launch will also feature objects from the Powerhouse collection, including drawings from Leonardo da Vinci, a boilerplate from an Apollo command module and an amethyst more than 100 million years old.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The Powerhouse Parramatta is Sydney's newest major cultural institution, bringing a state museum to western Sydney with a $1 billion campus and five opening exhibitions.
- The Mall reframes shopping centres, a defining feature of western Sydney's postwar growth, as heritage worth collecting and displaying.
- The opening will test whether the museum can draw audiences and establish itself as an icon in the west.
Background
Powerhouse Parramatta is a new $1 billion museum in Sydney's west, opening to the public on Saturday after a test run with staff and construction workers' families. Its launch features five exhibitions, including The Mall, which argues the shopping centre is central to western Sydney's identity. The exhibition is organised like a shopping centre and draws on the history of Westfield, founded by Frank Lowy in Blacktown in 1959.
Key Perspectives
- Gemma Savio, head of exhibitions curatorial: sees the mall as architecture and cultural phenomenon, crediting Frank Lowy with generating the shopping mall and transforming retail spaces.
- Powerhouse spokesperson: says an exhibition on Australian retail culture would be incomplete without the brands that shaped it, and that the Powerhouse has a longstanding history of collecting Australian design, fashion and retail culture.
What to Watch
- Saturday's public opening and the reception of The Mall's unconventional subject matter.
- Whether the five-exhibition launch draws the crowds expected for the $1 billion campus.
- How the museum handles the continued integration of the Parramatta metro site, including the 2032 station where Parramall once stood.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe Mall is a western Sydney shopping-centre history exhibition opening with Powerhouse Parramatta.The Age - Latest News: “The first western Sydney-focused exhibition at the Powerhouse will explore the history and development of shopping centres.”
- SupportedThe museum is valued at $1 billion.The Age - Latest News: “It is one of five exhibitions that form part of the Parramatta campus launch, with the $1 billion museum due to open to the public on Saturday.”
- SupportedPowerhouse Parramatta is due to open on Saturday as part of a launch featuring five exhibitions.The Age - Latest News: “It is one of five exhibitions that form part of the Parramatta campus launch, with the $1 billion museum due to open to the public on Saturday.”
- SupportedThe Mall is an immersive, two-storey exhibition winding through different eras of shopping.The Age - Latest News: “The Mall is an immense, immersive two-storey exhibition that winds its way through the different eras of shopping through both curated items on display and the architecture of the show itself.”
- SupportedParramall’s neon sign came from Sydney Metro, and the shopping strip stood on the site of the Parramatta metro station, due to open in 2032.The Age - Latest News: “Visitors enter a space designed to resemble a car park, and are greeted by an electric neon sign for Parramall, the shopping strip that opened in the 1980s. The museum obtained the sign from Sydney Metro; Parramall existed on the site of the Parramatta metro station, to open in 2032.”
- SupportedGemma Savio said: “The premise for this exhibition came out of the fact that Frank Lowy was really responsible for the generation of the shopping mall and the transformation of retail spaces.”The Age - Latest News: ““The premise for this exhibition came out of the fact that Frank Lowy was really responsible for the generation of the shopping mall and the transformation of retail spaces,” she said.”
- SupportedGemma Savio said: “And that model has really changed the way that we spend time buying things, receiving things, and transacting with one another.”The Age - Latest News: ““And that model has really changed the way that we spend time buying things, receiving things, and transacting with one another.””
- SupportedA Powerhouse spokesperson said Australian retail culture would be incomplete without some of the brands and retail experiences that shaped it.The Age - Latest News: “A spokesperson for the Powerhouse said any exhibition on “Australian retail culture would be incomplete without presenting some of the brands and retail experiences that have shaped them”.”
- SupportedA Powerhouse spokesperson said: “‘Arcade’ in The Mall highlights [the] skilled practice of window dressing and visual merchandising.”The Age - Latest News: ““ ‘Arcade’ in The Mall highlights [the] skilled practice of window dressing and visual merchandising,” they said.”
- SupportedFrank Lowy started Westfield in Blacktown in 1959; the first centre had 13 stores and parking capacity for 90 cars.The Age - Latest News: “Lowy started Westfield in Blacktown in 1959, with that first centre hosting 13 stores and a car park capacity of 90.”
- SupportedThe Mall will feature more than 1,350 objects, including old signs, cash registers, eftpos machines and Myer gift cards.The Age - Latest News: “The exhibition will feature more than 1350 objects, ranging from old signs and cash registers to eftpos machines and old Myer gift cards.”
- SupportedOther opening shows include The Dark for children aged four to 12, Es Devlin: The Turning, Overflow and Task Eternal, which focuses on aerospace history.The Age - Latest News: “The other opening shows include The Dark , an immersive exhibition created for children aged four to 12 years old, and Es Devlin: The Turning , where visitors can explore five immersive installations, as well as the First Nations-led Overflow and Task Eternal , which is focused on aerospace history and development.”