Artwork is used in many cultures as a form of storytelling and passing information on from one generation to the next. As Residences One rises up into the air, we want to tell the story of Barangaroo and the cultural connection to the water, land and sky.

When the Barangaroo precinct is complete, approximately 3500 people will live in the suburb. The architect of One Sydney Harbour, Renzo Piano, created the vision for these beautiful new buildings imagining that people will live in the air, as though they are almost floating between the water and the sky. 

There are three themes for the ‘Stories in the Sky’ artworks – water, land and sky. The artworks will be temporarily visible for between 10 to 12 weeks during the construction phase of the building. The stencils will be displayed on the core, which gives the building strength, however as the floors of the building are constructed the artworks will be covered but will remain as part of the history of One Sydney Harbour. The artworks will be reinterpreted as a symbol on a stencil and painted on the side of the building.  

The stencil process is being undertaken by Yamari Ochre Signs, a proud majority First Nations owned and operated signage company. It is a Supply Nation certified and a Veteran Owned and Founded business. Yamari literally translated to ‘Hand’ and ‘Ochre’ was used traditionally as pigment to not only place cultural signs around the landscape, but also as a way to empower the community to let others know they were there. 

The stories are being told on Residences One, the first of three towers collectively known as ‘One Sydney Harbour’ during the construction phase as the tower rises into the sky. As the tower is being built, we have a temporary blank canvas to fill with artworks, called ‘Stories in the Sky’ created by children, for all of Sydney to see.

Naidoc Week

Days of significance in the First Nations calendar will also be celebrated during the Stories in the Sky activation. The One Sydney Harbour team recognised NAIDOC Week from 8 to 15 November 2020 on the core.