The Art of Elizabeth Quay, MRA, Perth
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• • • • THE ART OF • ELIZABETH • QUAY • • 1 6 / Penny Bovell 9 / The Deadly Dozen: Aurora Abraham, Rod Collard, James Egan, Sandra Egan, Sharyn Egan, Peter Farmer II, Peter Farmer III, Kylie Graham, Biara Martin, Cheryl Martin, John Walley & Theresa Walley 13 / Christian de Vietri 16 / Pamela Gaunt 19 / Simon Gauntlett & Matthew Ngui 22 / Stuart Green 25 / Sandra Hill & Jenny Dawson 28 / Eveline Kotai 31 / Laurel Nannup 35 / Anne Neil in collaboration with Dr Richard Walley & John Walley 38 / Jon Tarry. 2 The contribution Noongar artists have made to Elizabeth Quay Artists view the with both permanent and temporary artworks is especially world differently. meaningful and welcome. A unique partnership between the MRA and the Whadjuk people – the traditional owners of the Derbal Yerrigan (Swan River) and of the land on which Elizabeth Quay sits - presented an opportunity for cultural authenticity. Artists create visual experiences that intrigue, inspire, amuse and It was clear to the MRA at a very early stage of development perhaps even confuse, but which are never humdrum. Outside that the prominent position and high use of Elizabeth Quay of galleries, in the public realm they can influence urban design would provide the perfect opportunity to share Noongar history in surprising ways, making thought provoking artworks that and culture with the wider community. creatively activate space. Public art is intended to generate interaction. The success of This book is a glimpse into the world of each of the artists the Elizabeth Quay artworks can be measured at least in part who designed or made artworks for Elizabeth Quay, the highly by the constant flow of ‘selfies’ being taken around all of them, visible and popular waterfront development that connects and the obvious joy of children having fun with artworks in play Perth city with the Swan River. It is a snapshot of their areas. Spanda, the commanding 29 metre high white sculpture conceptual process and an introduction to the complex, time- that frames Elizabeth Quay, has developed a unique identity consuming techniques and skills that went into making each of its own, becoming the site for yoga and fitness groups who finished piece. regularly practice under the arches. In early 2016 a pop-up Dîner-en-Blanc1 was organised around it. The Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority (MRA) commissioned artists from the earliest stages of design and throughout the It is gratifying for the MRA and all involved with the Elizabeth Quay building program. Apart from the significant visual impact of each artwork program that the public response is overwhelmingly artwork, the commissions exhibit a range of themes, materials, positive. As development around the quay expands, enjoyment of fabrication techniques and use of new technologies. the artworks will reach out to an even wider audience of office workers, residents, business travellers and holidaymakers. One of All of the artists were born or live and work in Western Australia, 1 A world-wide the primary objectives for the development of Elizabeth Quay was but there are no longer any physical or geographic boundaries phenomena, where chefs to reactivate the river shoreline as a place of recreation, leisure to making art. Some artworks were made in local studios and (amateur or otherwise) and play. As West Australian families stroll around Elizabeth Quay organise dining events at workshops, but when highly specialised techniques and materials secret venues. Diners sign on weekends and at holiday times now and into the future, our were required, emails, plans and drawings flew through cyberspace up for the event but do not hope is that the artworks will be a continuous source of delight. to different parts of the country and the globe. Many artists know where it will be (or what will be served) until remain committed to the indefinable spirit and beauty of the the last moment. Guests 100 per cent handmade, but in the twenty-first century, it is are asked to bring their unsurprising that others have embraced space-age materials own table, chairs and cutlery, and dress in white and complex computer modelling. from head-to-toe. 3 Laurel Nannup First Contact. 4 The Artists Stuart Green in his studio. 5 Penny Bovell Title Clockwise from left: Four Winds Close up of Four Winds; Penny Bovell; installing the Material artwork; original concept Screen-printed foil drawing; model of artwork on ethylene showing the effect of light tetrafluoroethylene shining through. (ETFE) copolymer Location Canopy over the Elizabeth Quay Ferry Terminal 6 I LIKE THE IDEA THAT WHEN PEOPLE FINALLY REALISE THERE IS AN ARTWORK OR, IN THIS CASE, ARE UNDER AN ARTWORK, WELL, THAT IT IS A BIT OF A SURPRISE, AND WHEN THEY DO REALISE, IT’S PLAYFUL TOO. Penny Bovell Perth is windy. From the desert in the east, from the ocean to the southwest or down the coast from the north, depending on the season, each wind brings its own essence: hot and dry, thundery and cyclonic, or wild and wet. Wind is a saviour in the hot summer months as it skims across the ocean as a welcome cool seabreeze. For many years, wind, clouds, air, weather and atmosphere have been the subjects of Penny Bovell’s non-representational paintings. The challenge for Penny was that the printing technology only allowed for a dot-matrix pattern, somewhat like a greatly enlarged old newspaper print. When Penny was commissioned for this artwork, the aesthetically powerful She scanned her line drawings into the computer and painstakingly changed forms of the ferry terminal and canopy had already been designed and the the drawings from one format to the other. materials selected. Taking inspiration from seventeenth and eighteenth century etchings by masters such as Albrecht Dürer, she imagined the wind travelling There are two views for this artwork, from below and from above. Unlike other across Elizabeth Quay from all directions: in motion, amidst, around and over works on Elizabeth Quay, it can’t be seen face-on from a distance, especially the billowing, blue-sky coloured canopy. She rendered numerous line drawings, as the billowing blue canopy is so dominant. Penny gave a lot of thought to this overlaying different iterations of wind and air until she felt their constant limited viewing. People waiting for and getting off the ferry find themselves movement had been captured, brought to an instantaneous halt sharing a space within a gently moving pattern – a pattern cast by the sun in a flash of time. shining through the print and one that changes with the passing of light and cloud. People looking from windows from adjacent high-rise buildings are The canopy is made from ETFE, which is a lightweight material used in the able to see the whole print undulating over the blue cloud canopy. construction of large-span roofing, skylights and façades. It can be screen- printed with a foil, but there are limitations that Penny had to work around. Penny likes to create public art that is subtle and partially hidden, ‘I like the This was complicated by the fact that such highly specialised fabrication idea that when people finally realise there is an artwork or, in this case, are and printing could only be done outside of Western Australia, so there was under an artwork, well, that it is a bit of a surprise, and when they do realise, no opportunity for face-to-face discussion with either fabricators or printers. it’s playful too,’ she said. 7 On-site installing of the artwork 8 The Deadly Dozen Aurora Abraham, Rod Collard, James Egan, Sandra Egan, Sharyn Egan, Peter Farmer II, Peter Farmer III, Kylie Graham, Biara Martin, Cheryl Martin, John Walley & Theresa Walley Title Left: Rod Collard Welcome Various to Whadjuk Country; Right: Materials Sharyn Egan Reflect. Translucent, self-adhesive film printed with UV- friendly eco inks Sites The light box blade walls on the east and west sides of Elizabeth Quay 9 FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS ARE ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IN NOONGAR CULTURE. WITHIN THE DEADLY DOZEN THERE ARE SISTERS, MOTHER, FATHER, SON, AUNTS, NEPHEWS, NIECES AND ONE INTERGENERATIONAL GROUP In art, new talent is never in short supply. Recognising the importance of providing smaller projects for upcoming artists to learn public art processes, OF GRANDMOTHER, DAUGHTER the MRA initiated an ongoing program of temporary artworks. AND GRANDDAUGHTER. The double-sided light-box blade walls on the east and west promenades of Elizabeth Quay were selected for these public artworks because of their high visibility to pedestrians and ferry patrons. The first program displayed over three consecutive years (2016–2018) features twelve Whadjuk Noongar artists - The Deadly Dozen. Working with Noongar Before printing, each artwork was photographed and scanned into a digital curator Debra Miller, the MRA ran the project though a series of workshops format. Colour and format can change slightly in the translation from one in late 2015 and early 2016. The brief to the artists was simple: ‘Your personal medium to another. To ensure the scanned image was as close to the original response to the Derbal Yerrigan [Swan River].’ Experienced artists led by as possible each artist worked with the printers to fine-tune the details. example and discussion as everyone shared ideas and stories around the table, Noongar style. The finished artworks reveal the marvelous outpouring that is contemporary Noongar art: evocative minimalism; layers of stylised patterns; photographic The artworks had to fit the size and materials of the selected site. The light box memories of family; bold graphics; landscapes and bird portraits described walls are irregularly geometric and different on each side. For some of the through painterly brushstrokes; and delicately drawn pencil renditions of cliffs artists it was the first time they had to consider painting or drawing within and water’s edge.