Home to the world’s first Westfield, Western Sydney pioneered the model of the urban shopping mall as we know it— large scale shopping centres located alongside transport hubs. This Western Sydney innovation was then replicated successfully on a global scale and will be the focus of a foundational opening exhibition at Powerhouse Parramatta, with objects contributed by the public featured in the exhibition.
Opening in 2026, the exhibition will explore the history, evolution and future of retail, showcasing innovations in technology, urban design, architecture and creativity that were shaped in Western Sydney. It will investigate the role of suburban shopping centres like Westfield Parramatta, Bankstown Square, Stockland Merrylands, Westpoint Blacktown and Roselands as vital community hubs— places where generations of locals worked, shopped, socialised, fell in love and grew up.
Powerhouse is asking the public to dig deep into their cupboards, photo albums, and memory boxes to find objects and stories that reflect life in and around the mall. It could be photos, videos, posters, pamphlets, cinema tickets and other original materials from that period that highlight the unique experiences of shopping malls in Western Sydney and the formative role they played in people’s lives.
Whether you attended performances or community events in your local mall’s atrium, or spent time in video arcades or the cinema, Powerhouse would love to hear from you. Contributions will help shape the exhibition and some participants may also be invited to share more through oral histories.
Powerhouse Head of Program Sarah Rees said: ‘We’re looking for items that capture the different uses of malls across Western Sydney — from cinemas to arcades, to the more unintended uses of these civic spaces such as skateboarders in carparks.’
Example materials include:
• Photos, autographs, promotional flyers or video footage from concerts and celebrity appearances.
• Certificates, medals and banners from mall-sponsored community events e.g. fashion parades, spelling bees and talent shows.
• Cinema tickets, movie posters and arcade wristbands and tokens.
• Mixtapes, Zines and DIY ephemera that documents culture in and around the mall.
To assist with this public call out, Powerhouse has engaged leading Australian retail historian Dr Matthew Bailey and researchers from Macquarie University’s School of History and Archaeology.
Macquarie University’s School of Humanities, Associate Professor and Discipline Chair of History and Archaeology Dr Matthew Bailey said: ‘Shopping centres were once the beating heart of suburban life — places where culture, commerce, and community collided. They shaped how we socialised, what we wore and who we became. We’re not just collecting objects — we’re piecing together a rich and often overlooked history of everyday life in Western Sydney that deserves to be remembered as part of our cultural story.’
Powerhouse Chief Executive Lisa Havilah said shopping centres in Western Sydney were more than just places to buy things — they were social lifelines, teenage playgrounds, and cultural touchstones.
The public is invited to submit images and details of their Western Sydney mall stories and objects at http://bit.ly/462zWgn. Submissions close August 22, 2025.
