Naala Badu
Breathtaking
Unexpected
Art
Author Cadance Bell was stuck.
For years she had planned to set important chapters of Letters to Our Robot Son in Sydney’s Hyde Park. The Knowers of the book would live in and around the war memorial, while the Sons of the Acolyte would live in St Mary’s Church across the road.
But when it came time to write the chapters, they just weren’t resonating for her. By this point she was four months past delivery schedule – the first time she’d ever missed a deadline – and her publisher was chasing her for the missing pages.
So, she cashed in 40,000 Qantas points to stay in Sydney hotels and re-explore the area. She’d heard of the recently opened new addition to the N.S.W. Art Gallery, then colloquially known as the Sydney Modern, so she walked down the road from Hyde Park to see what all the fuss was about.
Upon walking into its grand lobby, she cried.
She had found the location she was looking for.
An epic story needs an epic location, and they don’t come much bigger than Naala Badu.
From the moment you step inside, you’ll feel dwarfed by the grandeur and spectacle of the building. It is unashamedly bold, with a premium on natural light and respect for the landscape around it.
The Tank
Home of the Knowers.
A massive, breathtaking space you have to see to believe, it was used as a reserve oil tank during World War II.
Stand where Arto stood
From the gardens where Arto and his new friend hide in the bushes to the escalator where he completes the friendship ritual to the massive elevators used by Indi.
Come for the real-world locations of the visionary novel, stay for the illuminating art.
