Using rulers and bulldog clips to fashion the Harbour Bridge, coloured pencils and postage boxes to replicate the Opera House and wads of Post-it® notes to form water, Australian artist and animator Darcy Prendergast has built a model of Sydney city using only stationery.

 

The structure, which took over 190 hours, the focus of four creative minds and thousands of pieces of stationery to build, marks the arrival of office product supplier Staples to Australia.

A video of the build of the Staples Stationery City can be viewed at www.staples.com.au/sydney.

Victorian-based Prendergast says: “Our approach was simple; we used a bird’s eye image of Sydney to map out the shape of the harbour and position Sydney’s most distinguished structures. We started by building the Harbour Bridge using bulldog clips, coloured pencils and rubber band packets”.

After starting his artistic career from a young age, Prendergast has taken out a number of awards and collaborated with an impressive list of brands and personalities. In 2010, his work was shortlisted to appear in the Guggenheim Museum, he won Best Animated Music Video at the St Kilda Film Festival and he created Gotye’s music video for Eyes Wide Shut.

Darcy’s experience, talent and patience were put to the test on the Staples Stationery City.
“We had our work cut out for us! The Opera House was one of the first icons to be built and painting that alone was a six hour job. We painted the entire building using tiny liquid paper brushes. Once the Opera House and Harbour Bridge were constructed the rest of the city started to take form. It was an extraordinary project, I’m truly happy with the end result,” says Darcy.

Richard Haigh, head of Staples.com.au says: “Staples is well known in many countries but being new to Australia we wanted to create something a bit unique and quirky to illustrate our different approach to office product supply. Buying office products may not be the highlight of your week but who says it can’t be a bit of fun?”

To celebrate the completion of Staples Stationery City and the arrival of staples.com.au into Australia, Staples is giving away the ultimate Sydney weekend away. To enter, visit www.staples.com.au/sydney.
Staples, the world’s largest office products company, has a commitment to delivering great service, products, prices and a great overall experience to small businesses in Australia.

 

About Darcy Prendergast

Darcy Prendergast started his artistic career on the living room walls of his family home. Medium of choice: crayon. Not at all impressed, but keen to nurture the ‘talent’ his parents kept the paper supply steady.

Spending every waking moment with a pen, paintbrush or ball of clay in hand, his creativity blossomed, exhibiting in the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, winning the 1999 Junior Stanley award, the $20,000 Nescafe Big Break prize, and most notable of all, being selected for prestigious festivals such as Annecy Festival International du Film d’Animation, and Stuttgart Internationales Trickfilm. The start of a dream…

It’s been onwards and upward since, working on the Cadbury Commercials, animating for ABC Kids, and landing a lead sculptor role on Mary and Max. Now, his company: Dee Pee Studios pursues a gamut of artistic endeavours. Canvases line the walls ready for an impulsive splash of paint, balls of plasticine wait patiently for a set of hands, the sketch book lies open at the ready for inspired scribbling and Darcy Prendergast and his clay animated films continue to travel to film festivals internationally.

About Staples

Staples, the world’s largest office products company, has recently launched staples.com.au in Australia with a commitment to delivering great service, great products, great prices and a great overall experience to small businesses in Australia. Though large globally, Staples recognises that they are small in Australia and are focused on delivering a range of little things to ensure a great customer experience.

With $27 billion in sales, Staples serves businesses of all sizes and consumers in 27 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. In July 2008, Staples acquired Corporate Express, one of the world’s leading suppliers of office products to businesses and institutions. Staples invented the office superstore concept in 1986 and is headquartered outside Boston. Visit staples.com.au