Western Sydney Hip Hop Archive
The Western Sydney Hip Hop Archive is a major new initiative that engages and connects with industry and community to build and elevate Hip Hop's history and profile. Developed in a collaboration between Powerhouse Parramatta, Vyva Entertainment, Blacktown Arts and pioneers of Sydney Hip Hop, the archive will give depth and context to a generation of artists as well as creating a space to celebrate how Western Sydney Hip Hop is a vital part of Australian and international music culture.
Object Lesson – Sharline 'Spice' Bezzina
‘People often say Subway Art was what brought it to Australia, but we were already doing it.’
The first Western Sydney Hip Hop story shared through the Archive is the story of Sharline ‘Spice’ Bezzina, a graffiti artist, former B-girl, breaker, rapper and Australian HipHop pioneer who has been involved in the Western Sydney scene since its inception in the 1980s. Spice’s song Hard Core Love was featured on Australia’s first commercially released Hip Hop compilation ‘Down Under by Law’ (1988) and she was the support act for Ice-T during his Australian tour in 1989. Spice has kept an impeccable archive, some of which is part of the Powerhouse Collection
A lot of breakers, a lot of writers all came up from this area.
Raised in St Clair, Spice has kept an impeccable archive of her accomplishments, community and the scene around her – some of which are already housed in the Powerhouse Collection.
Object Lesson
Object Lesson is a Powerhouse digital content series that upends and inverts the legacy of a set of lesson cards held in the collection since 1880. Named for English educator Elizabeth Mayo’s 1831 publication Lessons on Objects, the series is underpinned by a desire to learn more about the objects in our collection from people and communities who have special relationships with them.
‘Knowledge stems not only from teacher or institution or object alone — but at the intersection of all.’
Agatha Gothe-Snape, Powerhouse artistic associate
