Sidney Story Factory, a bookstore converted into a Martian embassy
No, we have not gone crazy: until the contrary is proven, the Martians do not exist. And if they do exist, they are probably smart enough to ignore our existence, to apply that 'there is no greater contempt than not to appreciate'. The safest thing is that if they have visited us, they have done so in disguise to gorge themselves on Castilian crumbs or purchase a wonderful family vacation package at Disneyland Paris or Marina d'Or. But the point is that the human mind is so prolific that it ventures to go ahead and put the cousins of E.T. an embassy of its own, for that reason of diplomacy above all.
The idea comes from a story school located in the Australian metropolis, the Sidney Story Factory. This non-profit foundation has revolutionized the city since it opened its doors just a year ago. Devised by a couple of journalists, its initial purpose is to promote youth creativity , with courses adapted to the school schedules of the antipodes. And of course, the need to look for the muses in different places is still latent in the 21st century. If the romantic writers took the first railways to look for inspiration in the nature , or Soviet science fiction storytellers pilgrimage to the Derzhprom , the old Kharkiv skyscraper; now the young pupils already have a stimulating capsule to be inspired and fly (with their minds) towards other worlds. No author art here. Whether you're looking to become the Asimov of the 21st century or simply buy a book in a truly Martian literary environment, this is your place in Sydney.
Will they drink Martian cocktails?
There are many Martian treasures that you can find in its embassy
The commission was carried out by LAVA (acronym for Laboratory for Visionary Architecture), an architecture studio that is quite popular with the media and paints, in whose works the relentless search for the 'attract attention in any way' . His projects always howl, glow in the dark, propose futuristic and unreal forms. A style that has made them build in different deserts (both literally and metaphorically speaking), when there is nothing around to respect. Here, with great freedom, they have projected a gallery that, according to themselves, is a mixture of a whale, a rocket and a time tunnel. Although the idea is a bit presumptuous, in the result there are elements that can remind the inspiring examples.
Upon entering and walking forward, the sensation of being in the stomach of a psychedelic cetacean increases, with numerous wooden arches whose edge is painted in Green phosphorite. The time machine thing is palpable when checking how this space does not look like anything, although its design is not the latest either. If it were used for another purpose, it could pass for a clothing store with a youthful essence, it would only lack techno music at full volume. Finally, the lighting environment is responsible for assimilating it to a rocket, but not those that appear in NASA launches, but rather those of innocent cartoons and comics, type Tintin on the moon.
Let's go to the practical part, what do we find inside? Well, a kind of store-reading and creation corner. They could sell the motorcycle to be used for recollection, as a 'friky' sanctuary for food for twisted minds. And in a certain way it is like that, since in its recently inaugurated chairs, armchairs and tables young apprentices of Tolkien Y H.G. Wells who are advised and helped by volunteer teachers in order to generate minds without barriers. But it is not a normal library either, since the brilliant environment that surrounds it misleads the pupils and their pupils.
In the end it's a business , another source of financing for a noble cause, in which concoctions are sold to compensate for the earth gravity and human costumes to go unnoticed in the sales. So double check who's back in the checkout line, as a Martian may be trying to investigate us. To find out what it looks like, a statue that is somewhat reminiscent of the models that Tim Burton devised for his great 'Mars Attacks' greets the visitor at the entrance of the embassy. As a reward for the visit, they seal a fake passport that certifies the visit to the red planet. I wish it were, as its opening slogan says, ' a space for interplanetary business' and thus be able to get rid of the economic crisis. Of course, any creative crisis minimizes your risk premium here.
Books that inspire other worlds at the Sydney Story Factory