Small Worlds

Overview

The very large building that is Customs House is currently filled with a number of very small worlds. The first of these is the city model: covering the centre of the ground floor, this is an unavoidable part of your visit. Accurately reconstructed, the city of Sydney is splayed out like a toy town underneath your feet. Slightly strange, sure, but we've all seen architectural models before.

It isn't long before your gaze starts wandering and a hypnotic sight draws you towards the right side of the room, where the real action is happening. Bright screens play randomised scenes of Sydney life in what appears to be miniature format. It is bizarre and hypnotic to see all this familiar detail as if you were playing Sim City. What initially seems like a simulation soon gives itself away. Surely those citizens are too lifelike to be Lego? These scenes too complex and random to be animation?

What you are in fact watching is Keith Loutit's series of short films featuring real, everyday people and places. By playing with time and focus, Loutit creates the illusion of miniaturisation, which he uses to make familiar sites seem strange. It's a disorienting technique, which feels simultaneously uncanny and nostalgic to the observer. Mardi Gras, Bondi Beach and Hulkmania are highlights among the spectacles, but with so many to choose from, you're certain to find something close to home.