The Grimshaw Foundation has been launched at its first international location after London, in Sydney, Australia. On the last Friday of October, Foundation Trustee Andrew Cortese welcomed guests from the Australian education, cultural and arts communities to PHIVE, the new civic centre of Parramatta, the geographic heart of the Sydney Metropolitan area. 

The day’s presentations comprised an overview of the Foundation’s origins and work in the UK and presented the activities and initiatives that have already been undertaken in Australia, including the video content developed on artists Chris Fox and Jazz Money.

Georgia Vitale and Olivia Savio-Matev of Grimshaw’s Sydney studio presented on the day and a panel discussion on the role of creativity in education featured Peter Poulet, Professor of Practice, Architecture, Western Sydney University; Tamara Harrison, Head of Creative Learning, Sydney Opera House; Louise O’Brien, Architecture for Kids and Grimshaw’s own Awkar Ruel, Architectural Assistant.

The Grimshaw Foundation in Sydney will strive to further the aims of the parent foundation in the UK: to inspire young people about art and architecture and to develop programs, resources and digital content to encourage them to explore, learn and even pursue a future career in the field.

In Sydney, next steps include the application of the knowledge and experience gained over the last two years in London and commence similar programs in this location. Grimshaw envisions the launch of the foundation in Melbourne next year and then New York, with eventual exchanges possible between students and young people in these locations.

Those participating in Foundation programs in London have already expressed a desire to connect with others across the globe, sharing their new understandings of the built environment, how climate change is being experienced and what a sustainable future could look like to them.

The Grimshaw Foundation is also pleased to present two Sydney artist video interviews to celebrate the launch in Sydney. Spirit of the Escalator → is an interview with Chris Fox who has over 25 years of experience working with the built environment and bridges the disciplines of art, architecture, and engineering in his practice.

Poet and artist Jazz Money, of Wiradjuri and Irish heritage, is a mixed media artist who discusses working creatively and how they were able to forge their own career path in Digging into the Past →.

Watch the video interviews on Grimshaw Foundation Stories: https://grimshaw.foundation/stories →