6HEAD Restaurant
6HEAD in Perth intertwines colonial history with a theatrical design by COOOP, featuring an oversized printed curtain that tells two stories, enhancing the restaurant as a cultural heritage experience.
The 6HEAD story is deeply rooted in Australia’s colonial history and serves as a significant cultural heritage of the country.
At the heart of the design is an oversized thick printed curtain that theatrically frames the kitchen as a live performance and gives new meaning to the phrase, “restaurant as theatre. The artwork printed on it, features the telling of two distinct stories.
The first story depicts the dawn of Australia’s world class pastoral and cattle industries with the arrival of 6 head of Black Cape Cattle, from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. The story goes that the cattle managed to “escape” during a lunch break when they were not attended to. Search parties were sent out but to no avail. However, 8 years later and over 80 miles inland they were rediscovered with over 100 of their descendants in an area named ‘The Pastures. “This event is said to have helped save the colony from starvation and remains a significant part of Australia’s cultural heritage today.
The second story depicted is that of Dutch explorer Willem De Vlamingh who discovered Perth while sailing up the Swan River. To reflect the dreaming stories central to Aboriginal culture, the curtain was designed in a dreamscape featuring many intertwining visuals, a lot of them upside down, adding a touch of imagination and wonder to our restaurant.
At the main entrance, one is also greeted by 6 handmade) Cow heads woven from sisal and bark rope (in the traditional way that Australia’s first nations made rope). Art in any way shape or form, speaks to our hardwired evolutionary thirst to learn and develop and thus the art here has been designed to tell the stories , but more than that, be the keynote address to the totality of the space.
As a social space, we aim to make our visitors acutely aware of the rich anecdotes that make up the reason and backdrop to the external visual expression. By carefully weaving the 6 Head story into the existing historical fabric of the Campbell’s stores site, we hope to create a unique and memorable dining experience that celebrates Australia’s cultural heritage. Our commitment to sourcing the finest beef from reputable local meat purveyors is a testament to this heritage, and we take pride in serving the best steaks in Sydney.
Design: COOOP
Design Team: Callie van der Merwe, Roberto Zambri, Calvin Janse van Vuuren
Contractor: Mettris
Mural Artwork: Jana + Koos
Photography: courtesy of Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group
