City of Sydney caused media scrum with the big reveal of three public artwork proposals as part of the City’s $9.3m city centre public art plan.
The chosen artworks include: Cloud Arch, a 50 metre-high cloud, shaped arch made from steel placates that are tapered and curved
in two directions. The artwork, by Junya Ishigami, will act as an archway to the newly pedestrianised section of George Street, with the light rail passing beneath it.
Pavilion, by Sydney-based, Egypt-born artist Hany Armanious, will be an oversized milk crate made from Fibreglass that will be installed in Belmore Park next to Central Station. Seating and lighting will be provided inside the structure.
Finally, British artist Tracey Emin’s The Distance of Your Heart includes up to 60 delicate hand-made bronze bird sculptures. The birds will be scattered from the northern end of Bridge and Grosvenor streets to the refurbished Kent Street underpass.
View the proposal here
Art Gallery of NSW Director Michael Brand praised the City of Sydney for the tender process, which attracted nearly 700 entries from 25 countries.
“You want art in public spaces that people can live around and work around. You need the contributions of artists and architects,” he
said.
SMH columnist
Annabel Crabb revelled in the media commentary around the artworks in her piece on the proposed installations.
“This is the thing that people often miss about public art works; the ones that bring people together who hate them are exactly as successful as the ones that everybody loves.”
Conversation about the proposed artworks continues on Twitter on the hashtag
#SydneyStatue