Rosie and David Temperley believe that “communication, cooperation, and creativity” are the three key tenets for social cohesion, and life.

The Temperley Collection, their vast accumulation of books and ephemera, acquired over more than sixty years, is a blinding reflection of this bright ideal, illuminated via the ingenuity of a myriad of papery arts. The result is a cornucopia of marvels and delights that (literally) spring, bounce, twist, turn, fold, flap and flip – off, on and through the pages of thousands of books, cards, prints, and toys.

Over the course of the 500 years that the Temperley Collection spans, some of the most enlightened minds have used these methods to communicate the scientific and religious mysteries of our heavens and earth. Above all, the Temperley Collection practices what it preaches: it is a library that refuses to stay put on the shelves; it is an experience which demands immersion and participation.

The discovery and exploration of Australia has long been framed as both an act of chance and of growing curiosity, shaped by the vast seas of the southern hemisphere and guided by the faint patterns of the stars.

The 111 maps and books of the Michael and Wendy Brown Collection tell this story from the creatures of ancient European myth, via the monsters of colonialism, to the behemoth of globalisation and modern multi-cultural Sydney.