Art Challenge

Insite #26, Spring 2010
Nathan Scolaro | 29 Jun 2010

Anyone who’s travelled the southern end of the Kwinana Freeway lately will have seen the two giant faces on the tower at Cockburn Central Station. Mounted like billboards, they’re individual portraits of a senior woman and a teenage boy, both with vivid facial features that blur out towards the edges.

Since they went up in mid-2006, the digital prints have been a point of much debate, with some passers-by complaining it’s not clear why the “mug-shots” are there. “Every time I drive past with someone who hasn’t seen them before, they ask if it’s a missing person,” reads one post on a notorious Perth blog. “I’ve driven by a few times and thought it was an advertisement,” remarks another.

The images are actually a public artwork by Marco Marcon and Rodney Glick, developed through a process of digital synthesis using photos of local residents. Titled The Face of the Community, the project represents the most frequent users of public transport, while juxtaposing elements of realism with the otherworldly and unknown. It is these virtual characteristics that have led many to call the work “creepy” and “poorly executed” – so much so that a petition was started to have the portraits permanently removed.

Yet, despite the controversy – or perhaps because of it – the work now stands as one of Western Australia’s most successful examples of public art. It has captured our attention, got us questioning its significance, and, most importantly, encouraged us to form an opinion.

“There is a role for art to challenge the status quo and to move us forward by getting people engaged,” says Artsource executive director Jude van der Merwe. “And public art, more than any other form, has the opportunity to do that for a large demographic.”

“Not everyone has to like it – or even understand it,” adds public art consultant Andra Kins. “But to just shrug your shoulders and say, ‘That’s ugly’ or ‘I don’t know what that means’ is a very superficial response. It’s about encouraging people to look a bit deeper into the nature and purpose of art.”

Since the State Government introduced its Percent for Art Scheme 20 years ago, more than 700 public artworks have taken shape around WA. The initiative brings together the Department of Culture and the Arts and the Department of Treasury and Finance’s Building Management and Works Division to see a portion of every dollar spent on new State buildings go directly to public art.

In 2009, 30 art projects (involving a large number of pieces) were commissioned under the scheme, to the tune of $3.7 million. As a result, we’re now seeing a range of artworks in development for train stations, schools, freeways and health-care facilities, most notably the Fiona Stanley Hospital, which has a proposed art budget of $1.8 million.

From bronze figurines and wooden carvings to bright steel sculptures and painted murals, the creative forms in our public spaces have evolved in distinct and innovative ways.

“During the early days, the pieces had to serve a purpose – like a sculptural seat or a commemorative statue,” says local public artist Stuart Green. “But then government departments started to realise, ‘Hey, art can actually contribute in a much broader way – by enlightening a space and making it interesting’. The jobs, in turn, became more sophisticated, giving us greater scope to explore different ideas.”

While talkback radio and internet forums have revealed some criticism to public art’s funding, saying money could be better spent on hospital beds or educational resources, the advantages it has on both a human and community level shouldn’t be overlooked.

“There’s a lot of research overseas to show public art in schools correlates to higher attendance and better retention in students,” says State architect Steve Woodland.

“The fact that every child in every new school can experience art in the public arena is great exposure and a nice part of learning,” adds Jude van der Merwe. “Public art in hospitals is just as important. It can lift people’s spirits, give them an opportunity to reflect or even distract them from their worries for a moment.”

Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi says public art also plays a crucial role in energising a city’s urban fabric and making it more appealing. “Public art helps shape an identity for the city, which in turn becomes its marketable brand for interstate and international tourists,” she says.

“It’s about enriching spaces with a sense of flair and giving people a reason to come here and stay,” adds Stuart Green. “I remember hearing the head of Hewlett Packard on the radio saying they built their offices in Melbourne and Sydney because that’s where all the intelligent people are. Why are they there? Because the city itself is interesting.”

Last year, the State Government ran an international sculpture competition for a large-scale work in Forrest Place. Of the 202 entries received from 33 countries, five were shortlisted, with Perth-born artist James Angus (who is currently based in New York) winning the $1 million contract.

His piece is a three-dimensional bio-morphic form (something that resembles a living organism) that will appear to radically change in shape depending on how it’s approached. When installed at the end of this year, it will stand 11 metres long, three metres wide and 6.5 metres high.

“It’s supposed to be a very tactile sculpture that people will want to touch, lean against and walk through,” says James, who has also created pieces for the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra and the Public Art Fund in New York. “I hope people like it, but I also quietly hope that a few people don’t because it’s more interesting when there’s some sort of challenge at hand.”

The currently untitled work is the single largest art commission undertaken in WA. Gallery owner and arts ambassador Janet Holmes à Court says more public artworks of this magnitude are needed for our urban landscapes to thrive.

“One of the great things about places like Melbourne is the scale and diversity of public art,” she says. “It makes the city more attractive and says to people, ‘We care about your experience here’. I think we need to do more in Perth on a grand scale to make our built environments really exciting,” she adds.

“Works like the Angel of the North in England (which cost about $1.6 million in 1994) become a defining and memorable part of the landscape,” adds Jude van der Merwe. “Now that’s a major tourism campaign right there.”

Stuart Green says larger commissions not only generate employment opportunities for artists, but for engineers, fabricators and material suppliers as well. “When you’re doing these big projects, you need a solid team to make sure everything is well-designed and structurally sound,” he says.

“The other good thing is when you’re commissioned for works outside of the State. I recently did a big job in Brisbane where most of the money was spent here on wages, materials and services. All that is giving back to our economy.”

The project for the new Forrest Highway was one of WA’s largest public art collaborations to date, involving six artists, two project managers, a structural designer, a lighting technician and a group of fabricators. The program was divided into two parts: the paintings on the bridge abutments and the ‘cone and pole’ sculptures that would be placed on the side of the road near Mandurah.

“We wanted art that integrated with the new bridges and art that stood out on its own – something with a visual identity that people would remember from the journey,” says Andra Kins, who directed the highway’s public art program for Southern Gateway Alliance. “In effect, we coordinated two separate projects.”

The roadside art, titled The Water Dance, is a series of eight cone sculptures and 16 poles leaning at different angles to express the movement of rain hitting the earth. Designed by local artist Anne Neil, the pieces are made of marine-grade aluminium, with a rippling effect through the cones that light up internally at night. “It’s very much site-specific to the Peel region,” says Andra. “With water and earth as the main themes.

“When designing artwork for roads, the artist is predominantly looking at scale and colour. The reason for this is twofold: one, it needs to catch the interest of motorists who are driving at 100 kilometres per hour plus. And, two, it has to act as a landmark, so people know where they are on the road and how far they have to go.”

Andra’s role as public art consultant (of which there are only a handful in Western Australia), is to mediate between the government department or private developer funding the work, and the artists interested in designing it. While the process differs depending on the job, it generally sees her meeting with the client and project workers (architects, landscapers, builders and so on) to develop a brief that outlines certain criteria for the artwork.

The committee will then advertise for submissions of interest and shortlist three or four artists to come up with model ideas. Once the candidates have developed their concept, they present it to a panel and the final selection is made.

“In most instances, the art commission process is treated separately from the rest of the building development,” says Perth architect Ahmad Abas. “I would prefer that the artist is involved in the design team from the very beginning, so we can work at a more integrated level.”

Most artists and designers seem to share this view, saying there are many aesthetic and structural advantages to developing an artwork in the initial building stages.

Stuart Green says that some of his most successful projects (from mainly private commissions) were the result of a very collaborative relationship with the architect.

“I recently did some artworks for a mixed-use building in Subiaco,” he explains. “And from the start, the architect David Hillam and I were talking about how we could best integrate the art into the structure.

“In the end, I designed a twin light column and three folded aluminium screens, which were incorporated into the building facade seamlessly – so much so that you can’t really tell where the art starts and the architecture stops.”

Another upshot from this collaborative approach is that the artwork tends to fill a structural role in the building, which, in turn, cuts costs on installation and materials. Perhaps the best example of this is Central Park Tower in the CBD, where five magnificent murals by Perth artist Brian McKay have been integrated into the building’s lobby.

“It was decided that rather than lining the walls with marble and granite, we could – for the same cost – incorporate this huge artwork,” says Steve Woodland, who worked on the Central Park building project. “That’s how I’m hoping people will start thinking about art – as something that’s intrinsic to the building.”

Of course, there is still a place for public artworks that stand out on their own, pieces that have been made to purchase or even commissioned without architectural direction. These are the works we typically see in parks, laneways and train stations.

Just recently, the City of Perth unveiled a new sculpture outside the Esplanade Station that was bought at last year’s Sculpture by the Sea exhibition. The abstract piece, created by acclaimed Japanese artist Keizo Ushio, is carved out of a solid piece of granite and finished with red ochre to create a cherry blossom effect.

“The range and variety of our public art is becoming more diverse, much in the same way that Perth, as a city and a community, is changing,” says Lisa Scaffidi.

In February this year, the Perth city council adopted the Public Art Survey: Review Report, which provides research into past and present processes around public art, as well as ideas and comments from art consultants, developers and architects. It also looks at what other capital cities around the world are doing to creatively enhance their urban landscapes.

“The findings of the report will be used to prepare a public art policy and a masterplan, providing concrete guidelines and an innovative new approach to advancing public art in Perth,” says the Lord Mayor.

Local redevelopment authorities have also implemented public art policies, with many adopting their own versions of the government’s Percent for Art Scheme.

The East Perth Redevelopment Authority has helped fund about 20 public artworks in the New Northbridge project area, including the seven-columned piece Nexus, located in the Plateia Hellas.

It is these precincts where public art should work to enhance Perth’s cultural scene and encourage the wider community to participate more actively in city life.

Earlier this year, a dynamic water installation outside the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (by Danish artist Jeppe Hein) brought the entire centre alive, with families, elderly couples and teenagers all interacting with the fountain’s maze.

“Even though it was temporary, it was still a fantastic work because it got people talking and having fun with art,” says JCY architect Elisabetta Guj. “It also got children and teenagers engaged, which doesn’t happen a lot in this city.

“The youth of Perth are generally seen as a pain, but 99 percent of them aren’t and the city should be a place where they’re able to congregate and socialise. We need to make these areas more useable and fun, so we can attract our young people and improve the vibrancy of city life.”

Street art is one way this is starting to happen. Just recently, the City of Perth completed its redevelopment of Howard Lane, which features two illustrative wall murals by local urban artists Stormie Mills and Yok. “Street art can bring a really youthful energy to a public space,” says Ahmad Abas. “So long as it’s done legally and effectively – like the group work on the old Berlin building (which is WA’s largest street art mural) – there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have more of it.”

“We need as much and as many different types of art as possible,” declares Janet Holmes à Court. “Everything from the kangaroo statues at Council House to the red sculptural work outside QV1, it’s this variety of forms that will make our city more liveable for everyone.”