The Aviary

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Although relocation is a possibility should eviction take place, for Newtown youth The Aviary is more than just another local building – it’s a community.

Since its inception in July 2006, The Aviary has injected the spirit of bohemia into Newtown as an artist share house, musical venue and a place to let true colours shine through.

The brainchild of art school friends Molloy, Antonella Azzopardi and Alex Moon-age, The Aviary is home to ten amateur artists/musicians who spend their spare minutes painting, sculpting and creating unique artworks, seen in the most obscure locations around the house from the stairwell to the garage door.

It was created, says Moon-age, 19, as “a hub for Sydney's subcultures, a venue, a place of creativity…[a place to] break down social barriers”.

“596 King St as a place has a lot of stories associated with it that have become Newtown myths – hopefully we will join as a Newtown myth when we depart”, she said.

The house is also a musical venue, where monthly events take place at a small cost.

Its popularity within the indie community is reflected in the countless messages of enthusiasm plastered on the venue’s MySpace account, inquiring about upcoming events and expressing gratitude for those past.

Azzopardi, 21, sees the house as an art form itself as it brings together people from all walks of life.

“The thing with our house is that we don’t believe in status…everyone comes in here and all that melts away. We’re all human and that’s what we connect on”, she said.

And the residents of The Aviary don’t plan to keep the spirit just within their immediate community – talk of the upcoming Colour Parade is rife, a self-organised event that’s sure to spread the word of individuality all around Sydney.

An original Aviary construct, the inaugural parade is set to take place on Saturday April 21. It’s an open invitation to anyone who believes in individuality to march from Town Hall to Victoria Park where a picnic, as well as “fun and games”, will take place.

“We’re organising this parade to bring everyone in Sydney together who has the same mind frame and the same attitude to life…we’re just all gonna get together and walk down the street and be proud”, Azzopardi said.

“It will be a beautiful social experiment”, Moon-age said.

“We want to bring some colour to stale Sydney”.

To combat the threat of eviction, the residents have organised a Colour Parade after party at the house with bands such as The Laurels and The Follow set to perform, and a “Save the Aviary” benefit concert is in the planning stages with dates and performers as yet unconfirmed.

Extract from article by Giselle Nguyen 'The Bird Has Flown'