The Chapel

The Chapel is the circular heart of the former Darlinghurst Gaol, now the National Art School. Designed as the centre of the prison, it stood at the intersection of seven radiating cell blocks, symbolising surveillance, discipline and control. Today, the same convict-built sandstone building is devoted to creativity instead of confinement. Its reflection in a shallow puddle speaks to the site’s two lives - where a place built to imprison now offers the freedom to develop and create.