Osmosis at Chinatown Monorail Station

Chinatown Monorail Station, found on level five of Number One Dixon Street Shopping Centre, has been derelict since the controversial single-loop transport was decommissioned in 2013. The former monorail has a soft spot in many Sydneysiders’ hearts – even if it’s only for that one episode of The Simpsons, “Marge vs. the Monorail”.

Tapping into that nostalgia is a team of artists – creative director Marco Rinaldi, lighting artist George Webeck and sound artist Mara Schwerdtfeger – that is reanimating the space with a responsive light and sound art installation that plays on the comfort we find in listening to songs from our past.

Abstracted melodies from “important songs” of the past 20 years will be used to create a meditative, ambient loop playing in the disused monorail station. You will be able to wander freely around the space between 6pm–9pm on May 21–23 and May 26–30 to experience the 30-minute soundscape.

The long, droning composition is designed to “trigger” audiences’ memories. The sound will come from a series of speakers on the platform creating a sense that the sound is moving, or in sequence with the colourful light projected onto the windows and station structure.

Afterwards, audiences are invited to contribute to an “experience survey” to further understand the connection between music and memory. There’ll also be an artist talk on Wednesday, May 26 at 7pm.

Tickets are not required for this event, however numbers will be monitored for social distancing. The event is wheelchair accessible. Find out more about Osmosis here.