Cirrus@Austlit

'Founded in 1983, Sydney's Performance Space spent almost quarter of a century at 199 Cleveland Street, Redfern, before moving to Carriageworks in 2007. In doing so, it gave up being the sole occupant of a building, albeit a rather dilapidated one, for the promise of being an anchor tenant in a newly converted, post-industrial arts space. Since then, it has also had to negotiate the shift from being an anchor tenant to one of several resident companies, alongside Carriageworks' own curatorial team. This article undertakes a 'distant reading' of the dataset assembled under the auspices of AusStage, to analyse how this shift has changed Performance Space's programme, artists, audiences and aesthetics. Specifically, we identify three continuities: a deep and abiding commitment to liveness; an ongoing interest in interdisciplinary and intermedial art forms; and a home for independent dance. We also identify several differences, including: a decrease in the volume of programming and a narrowing of the types of performance and visual art on offer; a decline in the number of ensembles and a rise in live art; and a festivalisation of programming. Nonetheless, this cannot be attributed solely to the move, as the carriageworks era coincides with a period of major cuts to arts funding.' (Authors abstract)