In an effort to enliven city streets, City of Sydney is requiring that developers building in high traffic areas cover their protective fencing with art – either by a living Australian artist or relevant historical images – with ten large-scale artworks soon to adorn hoardings around the city’s busiest construction zones.
This initiative is made possible through the City of Sydney’s creative hoarding program, with construction companies able to use artworks licensed by the City of Sydney for free.
The latest round of selected artworks was chosen from hundreds of submissions.
While there were no limitations on artwork concepts, artists could choose to respond to three themes – Eora Journey: Recognition in the public domain, LGBTIQA+ pride and expansive greening.
City of Sydney Lord Mayer, Clover Moore, said the program was a fantastic way for local artists to showcase their work “loudly and proudly” on busy roads and intersections, injecting creativity into the everyday lives of Sydney residents.
“Not only does the program brighten streets and make the city a more pleasant place to visit and move through, it provides work for artists, many of whom have struggled to exhibit through the pandemic,” Mayor Moore said.
“We’ve picked beautifully artistic pieces that are sure to inspire, delight and engage Sydneysiders as they pass by and I can’t wait to see them installed across the city.”
Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay artist Dennis Golding’s artwork, Colouring Memory, is inspired by his childhood in Redfern, surrounded by iron lacework on the balconies of the area’s terrace houses.
Reimagining Victorian fences as colourful shields, Indigenous plants overlay old European motifs as a reclaiming of space and sharing of First Nations history.
“These objects were in our everyday life. I colour them through my connection to place, and memories of the past,” Mr Golding said.
Heavy Light by artist, Andrew Christie, and Sprung!! Integrated Dance Theatre, an organisation that runs dance and theatre training for people with disability, combines digital technology and performance.
Dancers created avatars of themselves that express the thrills and tensions of the stage, the importance of visibility and the weight of self-confrontation.
“We settled on natural forms for the avatars, meaning each dancer could take ownership of a specific element while feeling continually connected to the whole.
“While affirmative and colourful, the imagery also speaks to the unassuming power that comes with admitting feelings of inadequacy or sharing your desires – it gives others licence to do the same,” Mr Christie said.
This is the third round of the successful creative hoardings program.
Thus far, the City of Sydney has licensed 30 contemporary Australian artworks that have been used on more than 220 hoardings across the local area over the last five years.
Visit cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/cultural-support-funding/creative-hoardings-program to view the 10 newly selected artworks and to find out more about the creative hoardings program.
Featured image: Colouring Memory by Dennis Golding adorning hoarding as part of City of Sydney’s creative hoarding program. Image: City of Sydney.
