FAQs

Magenta House is a gathering, collective caretaking, and knowledge-sharing space based in Redfern on Gadigal/Sydney Australia. We organise and collaborate on culturally-vital programs, events, resource-sharing, and other ways to connect through the interweaves of art, food, social communing, and experimental practices. Our public programs come alive through micro-workshops, feeding sessions, pop-up shows, talks, test kitchens, food demos, reading circles, and more. We manage an open-access reading room which you can visit by appointment, during events, and on open days. We also run an e-shop platforming food cultures, heritage ventures, and experimental publishing across Asia and Australia. Through these relational vessels, we look at the ways that creative hospitality, co-learning, and intimate assemblies can embolden our ways of navigating and caring for the wider world together.

Magenta House is a grassroots project that launched to the public in April 2023 with a neighbourhood alley party called Bin Alley Biennale. Since then, we have staged over 200 events, branching out into offsite collaborations in 2025. The concept for Magenta House was developed several years prior by its founder, Mariam Ella Arcilla, who is a creative producer, culture worker, and writer with 30-years' experience in the hospitality, contemporary art, marketing, and grassroots organising sectors. Magenta House is a living project that operates inside the home Mariam shares with her husband, artist & DJ Mason Kimber, who comes from a hospitality, contemporary art, and music production background.

Operating on sovereign Gadigal/Land Sydney, Australia, Magenta House is a grassroots initiative located in the eclectic suburb of east Redfern, a stone's throw from Bourke St in Surry Hills. Redfern holds a significant history as an epicentre for Aboriginal civil rights movement, cultural expression and truth-telling. Magenta House functions as a live/work/create homespace, so the address is disclosed to attendees for now. The Housekeepers acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands, skies and waters that we work and collaborate on and extend this to First Nations artists, culture workers and knowledge-bearers.

Housekeeper Mariam Ella Arcilla runs Magenta House and organises the programs, collaborations, visitor bookings, digital platforms, comms content, and the Shop. Meanwhile, her husband Mason Kimber, who is an artist/DJ, oversees home logistics and maintenance. They are soul-mates who live together upstairs, while Mariam Magenta House operates on the ground level of their micro-home. Their combined careers in arts administration, hospitality, public programming, teaching, community service, and curating have informed Magenta’s germination. 

Mariam is of Filipina ancestry, belonging to a culture that is deeply rooted in collective gratitude, caregiving, and civic hospitality. By inhabiting the principles of 'housekeeping,' she is interested in unfurling what it means to run a public home and how acts of service and care frameworks contribute to the heartbeat of a dwelling. This term feels more decentralised than landing on say 'managers' or 'directors' because it encourages a level-playing field between the housekeepers and guests, prioritising homely hospitality and intimate assemblies. It also explores the ways that a private home can become a place of co-relational joy when we invite visitors, collaborators, neighbours, and friendly strangers into our interior worlds.

We run Magenta House voluntarily. We host programs in alignment with our work rhythms and energetic capacities, whilst also honouring the schedules of our collaborators. Which is why this space is not open all the time - instead, it opens up at the right time :) At the moment, Magenta House is open during public and industry events and gatherings, and by appointment.

You can enquire to visit via our Reading Room page or here. We also promote events via this website, our Humanitix page and Instagram channel. We don't have a marketing or advertising budget, so we rely heavily on word-of-mouth. We recognise that not everyone checks social media regularly, so we'll work on an e-newsletter platform in 2026 to dispatch program updates and event info ~ stay tuned!

Our location is provided directly to collaborators, participants, and visitors only. This encourages intentional visits and maintains boundaries.

'Magenta' is an extra-spectral tone that blends together eclecticism, creativity, harmony, and knowledge. Referred to as an 'invented colour' by colour psychologists, magenta represents the unpinned practices of its Housekeepers and the prismatic nature of our collaborators who work across art, food, design, literature, music and social sciences. It also invites expansive encounters through the various visitors who participate in our programs and gatherings.

Access to our reading room is free and open to visitors to explore every week by appointment, during events and on weekends (except for when we have events on or life/work commitments). Since opening the library space in early 2023, we have welcomed hundreds of visitors - including neighbours, artists, writers, students, scientists, academics, cooks, designers, researchers, migrant business owners, and entrepreneurs.
You can schedule a booking via our Reading Room page or here. Bookings are on a first-come, first-served basis, so if bookings have filled up or some times don't suit you, feel free to email us to propose an alternative date/time (subject upon availability).

Magenta House programs are self-organised by Housekeepers and we partner with first-time and on-going collaborators to dream up various projects and events. About 95% of our events are hosted in partnership with strangers and first-time collaborators who we either approach or who reach out to us. We then work with them deeply for months to co-pilot programs to fruition for the public. So mutual trust plays a huge factor in our programs and way of working. This allows for intimate connections and learnings to marinate beyond one event ~ which is the real dream!

We collaborate with Australia-based and International artists, culture workers, home-cooks, chefs, food scientists, curators, creative technologists - the list goes on. We encourage you to explore our constellation of collaborators and partners by visiting the bios section of our Programs page or collaborators' social handles on our Instagram channel. Note that we are currently populating our 2023-2025 Programs page (in between other commitments), so come back to that page in early 2026 for the expanded program list.

We get it! Life happens and sometimes plans change. If you can no longer make it to an event, all good! Simply notify Magenta House immediately via the email provided in your ticket info. Our venue is small - which means every body and voice in the space matters in the overall communion of the program. All our events have waitlists, so by contacting us as soon as possible, you help us avoid food wastage and prioritise resources, and enable us to reallocate your spot to guests on stand-by.

Magenta House is voluntarily-run and the collaborators we partner with often co-host these gatherings as a labour of love. Collectively, we pay for materials, food produce, support items, and any equipment hire up-front. We spend months organising the event and format, doing community outreach, training fellow volunteers, and attending to guests enquiries. For this reason, we normally don't do refunds for paid events. This is the standard procedure for many events in Australia. By purchasing a paid ticket, you accept the terms and conditions laid out via our ticketing policy. That said, you're welcome to contact us if you have a special circumstance that warrants a refund request; we will assess this at our discretion depending on capacity and notification time. Thanks for understanding!

If an event is postponed by the collaborator or by Magenta House, we'll let all guests know immediately by email and provide an adequate explanation. Your ticket will qualify automatically for the new date. For paid guests, you can either take no action if you'd like for your ticket to be automatically reallocated to the new date. Or you can get an automatic refund or pay-it-forward/donate the ticket to another guest. We'll usually contact you to seek your decision.

If an event is cancelled by the collaborator or by Magenta House, we'll let all guests know immediately by email and provide an adequate explanation. A refund is actioned straight away for paid ticket-holders.

Magenta House operates on a voluntary basis and programs are entirely self-funded for now. The Housekeepers continue to pursue freelance/casual work to allow for reflexivity and resources to produce programs. Collaborative events are funded via pay-what-you-can, by-donation, or ticketed tiers. Any collected fees from paid events go towards paying for food ingredients, event coordination, collaborators' labour, and materials. Remainder profits going towards holding free community events and mutual aid ventures.

The Magenta House Shop is an online store that launched in December 2024. We spotlight food cultures, heritage ventures, and experimental publishing across Asia and Australia by presenting limited-edition and ethically-made works by artists, independent publications, and social workers. Mariam curates the Shop inventory and sources items directly from makers, artists and partners. New items are added on an on-going basis based on demand. Explore the Shop here.

We also host offsite pop-ups and opening hours at Magenta House. Times are posted on our Instagram feed/Stories. You can book a visit or email/Instagram DM for further info.

Shop item fees are calculated to match market rates, supplier shipping fees, and postage & handling on the seller's end. We buy directly from the makers and publishers and take a low commission to ensure products remain affordable, whilst also honouring the fiscal value of the labour and artistry involved in making and marketing these items.

We are a volunteer-run shop and are dedicated to supporting independent artists, grassroots initiatives, and small-business publishers. Any profits made through the Shop go towards running community events and mutual aid projects at Magenta House.

You can buy and peruse items via our online Shop.
Currently, we ship across Australia, and internationally by request. We also offer Shop pick-ups from our Redfern site. Simply contact us after your purchase to request pick-up and we'll auto-refund your postage fee.

You can also peruse some of our Shop items at our Magenta House Shop pop-up at Taguan Café in Darlington until 28 May. The items evolve according to stock and demand. For more details, click here.

The house is a re-envisioned 19th century Victorian terrace designed by award-winning New Zealand architect Adele McNab. The 62m2 property is separated by two living pavilions with an internal courtyard graced by a majestic fern tree (formerly, a Xanthorrea tree was in its place). Customised pocket doors and windows were installed to consider weather, privacy and aesthetics. The architectural palettes of sienna, honeycomb, cedar and snow- grey evoke the feeling of a cabin-style escape within an inner-city area. In 2021, Adele received the Australian Institute of Architects Award and was shortlisted for a Houses Award–for the design of this house. When Mason and Mariam became homeowners in January 2022, we made further additions and remediations-with Adele’s blessing–by constructing a library structure at the front room and the Shop/creative space/DJ area at the back studio. This phase enabled us to evolved the homespace areas into a living program and a public home. Prior to Magenta House, the home design was featured in Local Projects, Architecture magazine, Yellowtrace, and The Design Files and was previously known as ‘Riley’s Terrace’ as an ode to Adele's young son. Read about the home and Adele's practice in Never Too Small.

Yes! The Housekeepers accept emailed proposals or enquiries for events or collaborations from individuals and collectives in Australia and internationally. Please note, Magenta House is an architecturally-driven micro-terrace with unique functionalities. Currently, we pencil in weekly events and small gatherings in rhythm with our capacities and our collaborators' schedules. Programs are focused on intimate assemblies, which means gatherings remain small and chummy and are aligned with people, collectives and businesses that share Magenta House’s ethos. Before pitching, please view some of our programs here or our Instagram channel to gauge the vibe and intention.

Yes! Magenta is available for commercial photoshoots, product launches, film-shoots and private events, depending on the nature of the project and space requirements. See our contact details at the bottom of this site to reach out.

Our website was designed by Gadigal-based Elle Williams Studio. Check her out for your web, brand identity, publications, and other creative needs!

The MH brandmark was designed by Studio Van Low in early 2023. It was based on the Housekeepers' brief of 'magenta' as atoms clustering and becoming drawn to one another in the same way cross-pollinated ideas and creative disciplines collide together under our roof. The design also pays homage to the Cowra pebbles in the Magenta House courtyard and references the grassroots spirit of our multimodal program and evolving circle of collaborators.

Mariam Ella Arcilla is a community organiser, creative producer, and writer who grew up in a household of artists and cooks in Quezon City, Philippines. Embedded in the Australian cultural sector for over 20 years–she has inhabited strategic, communications, and curatorial roles across grassroots initiatives, publications, galleries, and government. Mariam runs Magenta House: a gathering, collective caretaking, and knowledge-sharing space in Redfern that hosts workshops, feeding sessions, talks, test labs, shop, and a reading room. She maintains a creative practice and has created works for Institute of Modern Art, Saluhan, Firstdraft, Liquid Architecture, BANG-ON, and Electrofringe Festival. Mariam's notable roles include: Communications & Engagement Manager at 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art; Gallery Manager at STATION; Co-founding Director of Miami Marketta, Rabbit & Cocoon, and Tinygold ARI; Senior Projects Officer (Design) at Qld Govt and Arts Community Engagement Officer at Arts Qld. As a writer/editor she served as Runway Journal Co-Chair and Guest Editor at Debris magazine, fine print, and Museum of Brisbane. Her work is published in Art Guide, MeMO Review, ACCLAIM, and VAULT, alongside catalogues for HOTA, Institute of Modern Art, The Walls, Melbourne Art Fair, and Asia Pacific Design Library. She has mentored arts workers at Outer Space and Parramatta Artists Studios; and was an Arts Consultant for Creative Australia and Cultural Capital. She spent her formative years in hospitality—oscillating between family bakeries, pubs, night clubs, fine dining, fast food chains, and food marketing in Australia, UK and the Philippines. Mariam’s community work is profiled on SBS Radio, Never Too Small, VOGUE Philippines, The Straits Times Singapore, ABC TV, Habitus, Liminal, and Broadsheet. She's also an avid snacker with treats in her pockets at all times!

Mason Kimber is a Perth-born, Sydney/Gadigal-based artist and DJ. The nightclub was his playground as a child. His bar-owning father—who was well-known in the Perth hospitality industry—would often dream up pseudo-fantasy worlds by using theatrical stages and lighting to reconfigure rooms. He would take Mason with him to the club during the day, when the venue was empty of patrons, and let him roam free around its make-shift thresholds. With a child’s eyeline, his gaze landed on objects and minutiae that became time-space portals. Buttons on the DJ mixer turned into spaceship controllers. The grooves in vinyl records appeared like coded inscriptions. Drinking glass fragments and the sticky surfaces of alcohol-soaked carpet offered clues to activities that happened the night before. As he lingered through the venue’s back-stage areas—storage rooms, offices, behind stages—he began to see these interiors as living labyrinths that continue to shapeshift in the mind. As an artist, he remix images and casts of architectural fragments into embedded surfaces to envision how interiors can register histories within their skins.

You can check out our feature in Never Too Small , Liminal Magazine or Made In Kin for a lowdown.