The Collage music group ready to create studio in Bridge Mall

The Collage have recently moved into what used to be the Commonwealth Bank building.

"We are treating it like an artist's retreat and investing in ourselves after two years of not being able to physically share our creativity," member Sarah Spaven said.

The group have set up a practice space that doubles as a recording studio and are excited to be creating music together again.

"It is wonderful to be able to have this shared space," Ms Spaven said.

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She said it was not only great to bounce ideas off one another, but also learn new things.

"That has been a really cool thing about the space, for example, I would really like to learn to play drums and it is really nice to have a space where you can actually do that," Ms Spaven said.

Their project coincides nicely with Ballarat council's effort to revitalise the Bridge Mall.

Ms Spaven said their group had support from Ballarat Evolve and the Ballarat Neighbourhood House to get started.

"They have been really supportive and encouraging of our project," she said.

"Taking old beautiful buildings like this, reigniting them and getting people back in the Bridge Mall."

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The Collage member Tim O'Keefe said the Bridge Hotel used to be known as a music hub in the '90s.

"When it shut down, it left a big hole and in a way we are sort of paying homage to that by our own creative pursuits," he said.

"There have been some really wonderful initiatives around Ballarat over the last couple of years to get more live music happening."

With locations like Babushka and The Eastern no longer available for live performances, there are a limited number of places for musicians to perform.

"Volta is sort of like the last bastion I suppose of live rock music at this point in time," Mr O'Keefe said.

"There are lots of bands in Ballarat, I think we would all like to see spaces for bands to be able to rehearse and play gigs in the future."

While the project is still in its infancy, The Collage members are able to engage a number of music groups and bands they are a part of to be involved.

In the future they hope their space can become a hub for a wide variety of musicians.

Eventually they hope the space can become a hub for musicians to learn from each other.

"Throughout COVID, I feel like most of us have tried to create art and share it," Ms Spaven said.

"But to actually get up on stage and perform live, you have to rehearse, you have to be in the same room.

"This space allows us to do that."

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