Baxter-1005-Midland
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
8art projects Midland Redevelopment Authority foreword ARTWORKS ARE INTEGRAL TO MIDLAND’S REVITALISATION. They add character and vitality to the streetscapes and public open spaces and reinforce the town’s strong sense of place. From the start, the Midland Redevelopment Authority set out to commission works that would engage, surprise and delight both locals and visitors. The artists found inspiration everywhere. The artworks – from the imposing Workers’ Wall at the entrance to the former Railway Workshops to the footprints of man and emu on a path at Woodbridge Lakes and the sets of long-legged metal sculptures along Yelverton Drive – celebrate many facets of Midland’s heritage and culture. This eclectic collection of artworks reflects the various artists’ interpretations of Midland and helps us see the place differently and appreciate it all the more. Kieran Kinsella CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Mark Datodi. Void No I. Photographic etched zinc plate and balsa wood construction. introduction “Public art has the capacity to transform places, objects and memories; it can help define a sense of place, facilitate a bridge between past and future, and present vernacular culture to the wider world.” This publication celebrates the MRA’s first eight art projects. THE MRA MANAGES A 256-HECTARE SITE LOCATED ON THE EASTERN SIDE of the The redevelopment of metropolitan area of Perth. Included within this area are part of the Midland town centre, the this site heralds an Meat Industry Authority’s saleyards and the historic former Midland Railway Workshops. equally important The Railway Workshops were a dominant force in local and state-wide economics throughout the new era. 20th century. They were the centre of social and community life for generations of workers, and many people within Western Australia continue to hold a deep emotional attachment to them. The vision for Midland is for a sustainable regional Designed by the celebrated Western Australian engineer, C.Y.O’Connor, the colossal scale of the Workshops is counterbalanced by elegant detailing in the brickwork and carpentry. centre recognised for its Their closure in 1994 was the end of an important era. cultural diversity and The mix of new streetscapes, public open spaces and contemporary architecture coexisting with growing opportunities remarkable heritage buildings and facilities offers artists wonderful opportunities to explore ideas in commerce, education relating to site, scale, and social identity. and the arts. The intention is to reach out to both local residents and visitors with distinctive and unique artworks that reflect on Midland’s past and future. Maggie Baxter Art Coordinator for the Midland Redevelopment Authority Anne Neil. ‘Mixture 1 & 2’. Diptych. Marine ply clad with patinated copper. exhibition In 2001 the MRA invited THE ARTISTS WERE SELECTED TO ENSURE A MIX OF STYLES AND MEDIA. Some chose to a group of ten established concentrate on the dramatic architectural scale and detailing, while others focused on the more human elements. The final artworks are diverse: delicate fused textiles, welded iron tools, screen-printed and emerging artists aluminium, patinated copper, canvas and text collage, drawings and oil paintings. to record their highly The exhibition opened in the historic Railway Institute building in December 2001 and remained on individual views of the show to the public until February 2002. interiors and exteriors The MRA retained at least one work from each artist for its own collection. of the Midland Railway Workshops. ARTISTS They were asked to Mark Datodi complete a minimum Rina Franz of two works each. Richard Gunning Adrian Jones Tony Jones Anne Neil Clare Perkins Karen Reys Hettie Spee Norachai Thavisin Karen Reys. ‘Reflect’. Silk, cotton, steel wire, and acetate. Clare Perkins. ‘Midland Railway Workshops in Red Gold’. Oil on canvas. 8projects Recognising the important role of public art in successful urban renewal, in 2001 the MRA began a program of commissioning artworks to be integrated into the built environment. A brass plate disc with brightly coloured epoxy paint, also designed by Lance, was placed in a central position along the ‘track’. The large circle represents one year (bonar), and the six small circles represent the six seasons recognised by Nyoongar people. Djiran April – May Mookaroo June – July Djilba August – September Kambarang October – November Birak December – January Boonaroo February – March lance chadd LANCE CHADD (TJYLLYUNGOO) IS A NYOONGAR ARTIST WHO WAS BORN IN BUNBURY, Western Australia. Self taught, he has been working as a full-time professional artist since 1980. He is represented in the Art Gallery of Western Australia and the Australian National Gallery as well as other public and private collections. Nyoongar people are the traditional owners of the land in the Midland area. The Swan Valley, just outside Midland, was a good source of food for Aborigines who hunted there for kangaroos and other marsupials, wild fowl, fish and long-necked tortoises, and gathered yams and other edible roots. By using two simple but powerful images of feet, Lance pays tribute to the strong bond of brotherhood between emus and humans. The human feet (Nyoongar djena) represent Aboriginal traditional lands (Nyoongar boodjara), and the emu feet (waitj djena) represent the cultural connections between Aboriginal people, land, animals and the environment. Forty-five imprints of each design were cast in bronze and inlaid into the pavements around the Woodbridge Lakes subdivision. The feet alternate and are spaced apart as though on a hunting or walking track. mark grey-smith MARK GREY-SMITH IS A SCULPTOR who trained at the Chelsea School of Art in London and the Canberra School of Arts, where he was also a lecturer from 1988 – 1996. Since returning to Perth he has concentrated on being a full-time artist. He has exhibited throughout Australia and has been an active member of a number of significant arts organisations and committees including Praxis Inc., the very influential artist-run experimental gallery prominent in Perth during the 1970s and 1980s. As a committee member of C.A.D.E.N.C.E (formerly Art in Public Places Network ACT), he contributed to the instigation of a Percent for Art Policy by the ACT Government in 1995. Built of bricks inscribed with the names of workers, the Workers’ Wall pays tribute to the thousands of Western Australians who wove the rich social history of the site. It is positioned at the entry to the Railway Workshops. Mark collaborated with architect Philip McAllister and landscape architect Chris Byrne from Tract (WA) Pty Ltd to ensure the artwork integrated into the built structure. Industrial remnants from the Workshops provide the basis for the form and content of the artwork, together with cut steel images of workers taken from archival photographs. The result is a work of substantial presence and expressive content that commemorates the workers and work carried out in the Workshops throughout its 90-year history. ‘I wanted to express the industry and achievements of the workers in a dynamic and positive manner’. Mark Grey-Smith, 2005. robert juniper + ron gomboc robert juniper + ron ROBERT JUNIPER IS RECOGNISED AS AN ARTIST OF POETIC AND SPONTANEOUS VISION. Now best known for his evocative interpretations of the Western Australian landscape, he started his career by studying commercial art and industrial design at Beckenham School of Art. Since 1974 he has devoted himself full-time to painting, sculpting, and printmaking. He has had numerous solo exhibitions throughout Australia and his work is represented in all major Australian public collections. In 1999 the Art Gallery of Western Australia held a major survey of his work. Robert has collaborated with Ron Gomboc on a number of major commissions. These works have all been designed by Robert and fabricated in the Gomboc Foundry. Robert’s towering five metre high copper and bronze sculpture ‘Tree Forms’ is the centrepiece of a new park in the centre of Midland named after him. ‘When I was a child my grandmother took me to see the bronze statue of Peter Pan in Queen Park Gardens, East Perth, I was fascinated by the little creatures, mice, squirrels, rabbits and such emerging from the original matrix of clay turned into bronze. My concept is similar, a fantasy of organic forms and little bush creatures, with a mechanical reference (Midland Workshops), without being too literal. My aim is to make a sculpture that is decorative and interesting to children in particular, the shadows cast on the ground and on the leaf forms should be an extra bonus’. Robert Juniper, June 2003. RATIMIR MARIJAN (RON) GOMBOC WAS BORN IN SLOVENIA AND CAME TO AUSTRALIA AT THE AGE OF 13. He studied art at Midland Technical College and Perth Technical College from 1971 – 1982. Since 1980 he has operated his own studio, foundry and gallery from a property in the Swan Valley. The gallery holds annual sculpture exhibitions and surveys as well as a program of monthly exhibitions. As a sculptor Ron has had numerous exhibitions in Europe, Asia, and Australia and has completed various public and private commissions. He is represented in several major collections including Edith Cowan University, Alcoa Alumina Australia and University of Technology in Sydney. In 2005 he represented Australia at a major steel sculpture symposium in Beijing where one of his works is now integrated into the ‘Peace’ Sculpture Park Collection. ANDREW LESLIE NOW LIVES AND WORKS IN SYDNEY where he is a part-time lecturer at the Sydney College of the Arts. Before that he taught at the School of Visual Arts at Edith Cowan University, Perth. He graduated with a BA (Fine Arts) from Monash University in Melbourne in 1988. In his studio work Andrew makes relief installations that create visual effects through the changing relationship of different coloured surfaces.