TRCB Expertise: Why Invest in Public Art?
TRCB Director Fred Chaney shares some thoughts on the question ‘Why Invest in Public Art?’
3 May 2021
Our practice has been privileged to work with so many exceptional Western Australian artists. They have brought vibrancy and beauty to civic and commercial buildings and spaces by revealing local character, sharing unique ‘ways of seeing’ and celebrating and retelling stories particular to a place.
There’s good and great (as well as some terrible!) public art to be had in metropolitan Perth and right across regional W.A. Organisations like FORM, Artsource and DevelopmentWA have sponsored nationally significant public art programmes, much of which reflects the very best of our Western Australia artistic endeavour. Regional towns are realising the potential of public art to attract new visitors and tourists. Governments and institutions are realising new forms of cultural and historical narratives in public art to celebrate the stories of Western Australia, not least those of Australia’s First Nations' cultures.
At Koorden in Kings Square, the concept development process was led by Whadjuk Ballardong Noongar artist, Rod Garlett, in collaboration with sculptor, Richie Kuhaupt and TRCB Director, Fred Chaney. Together, the team developed what became Koorden – a series of sculptural figures that commemorate and celebrate the Noongar leaders who gathered in Perth in 1900 to represent Aboriginal communities at Federation. The work also speaks to the site’s ecological past – acknowledging the layered social, environmental, and cultural significance of the wetlands that once dominated this part of the Swan Coastal Plain.
The team undertook the development of the sculptural concept under leadership from Aboriginal cultural advisors, Carol Innes and Barry Maguire, as well as six highly respected Aboriginal elders from the Perth community. Their guidance was critical to the success of the project.
At Scarborough Foreshore Arbors, TRCB’s collaboration with artists Sharyn Egan and Anne Neil, and the Arup structural team resulted in Voronoi-inspired geometric structures with colourful shaded canopies that celebrate the Noongar cultural heritage of Perth’s coastal places. Combining art with shade and flexible space, the arbors are visual drawcards for the busy pedestrian precinct. The vibrant sunshades remind us of surf life-saving carnivals, beach sunsets and the symbolism of the Aboriginal flag.
At The Rocks, a collective design process between the City, TRCB’s team of architects, landscape architects UDLA, and artist Trevor Richards led to the brief being expanded to include a meta-graphic artwork that’s inspired by the Geraldton Wax flower. The artwork covers pavements and walls along a 300m path linking the Geraldton Regional Art Gallery to the foreshore.
This article was written by TRCB Director Fred Chaney.
A few more TRCB insights:
