The Public Art Trail
Art need not always be confined to the gallery wall, or indeed on any wall. It does not need to be shut in but can be amongst us all the time. Sometimes it is not noticed and it becomes part of the background to every day life.
In this small “trail” within the main Southern Art and Craft Trail we aim to bring alive some of the public artworks in our community. Public art is regarded as the artistic expression of an art practitioner presented within the public arena, outside the traditional gallery system, where it is accessible to a broad audience. The public arena refers to both indoor and outdoor spaces that are accessible to a wide public and includes streetscapes, public buildings, parks, civic centres, and libraries, to name just a few.
Works of art in the public arena may take on many forms including murals, sculpture, details in streetscapes, performance, installation. They may be permanent, temporary or ephemeral. For this first year of the Public Art Trail we focus on selected artworks in and around the City of Albany. In years to come we hope to expand this initiative and bring you more exciting works in other areas of the Great Southern.
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| Peter Farmer, Lorenna Grant, Alan Clark | | Various mediums Swarbrick Art Loop)
Access from North Walpole Rd
Walpole The 500-metre loop walk at Swarbrick provides visitors with spaces for introspective contemplation of the wilderness. It features forest art exhibits and a giant 39-metre long “Wilderness Wall of Perceptions” that encourages people to explore perspectives of the forest and the wilderness. Commission: Govt. Western Australia - Dept. of Environment & Conservation |
| | B. Kevin Draper, Sue Codee & members of the local indigenous community | | Wood, metal and ceramic tiles Weerlara Lake
Cnr Parker St & Hanrahan Rd
Albany Series of Metal Sculptures and Mosaic Installation.
“We is a Big Word” (2001)
The themes of this project revolved around issues of reconciliation and loss. Three hundred young people listened as Elders from the Albany Noongar community shared stories of their experiences growing up in Albany and about the area around the lake, its flora and fauna.
City of Albany Community Arts Project |
| | Raphael van der Waag, Mark Hewson | | Stainless & galvanized steel and glass Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre
Barker Rd
Albany (Hours 9am – 5pm every day) “Water Forest” captures the motion of sea grass in a gentle current. It is a reflective work which pays homage to the wetland eco-system that once existed on the site.
Commission, City of Albany |
| | Chad Marwick, Elliot Warren, Jarrah Moon and Young Participants | | Paint PCYC Buildings
77 Sandford Rd
Albany This series of Urban Artworks are part of the Tag Free Albany Project which was created to provide young people with a safe and legal place to learn the difference between graffiti and urban art. The project was a partnership between the PCYC and the Open Access Youth Art Studio.
Funded by: The Office of Crime Prevention. |
| | David Walker | | Corten steel plate City of Albany Administration Offices
102 North Rd
Albany “Threshold” (2004 – 2005)
This sculpture suggests or symbolises a split
granite boulder typical of the landscape of Albany
and its region and, through its linear construction,
the contour lines of Albany’s undulating
topography.
Commission: City of Albany. |
| | John Wills with Eliza Stewart & Helen Leighton | | Fallen Jarrah, recycled sawn timber & metal
Cnr Prior St & Lockyer Ave
Albany
“Water” One of a set of three Sculptures in Gardens
The artist worked with landscape designers on this commission which was part of a streetscape improvement program where he has emphasized the importance of this resource and the community, via the diligence and effort the figures are exerting to keep them safe. Water is represented by three figures supporting a small water tank.
Commission: City of Albany, 2004 |
| | John Wills with Eliza Stewart & Helen Leighton | | Fallen Jarrah and recycled wire
Cnr of Stead Rd & Lockyer Ave
Albany
“Earth” One of a set of three Sculptures in Gardens
The artist worked with landscape designers on this commission which was part of a streetscape improvement program. Earth is represented by a set of strainer posts built in “cocky” fashion and the three embracing figures represent family groups which are joined by common boundaries or circumstance.
Commission: City of Albany, 2004 |
| | John Wills with Eliza Stewart & Helen Leighton | | Timber, recycled machinery parts & metal
Cnr of Moir St & Lockyer Ave
Albany
“Wind” One of a set of three Sculptures in Gardens
The artist worked with landscape designers on this commission which was part of a streetscape improvement program. Wind is represented by a precariously positioned figure on a large weather vane always at the mercy of the extremes of weather, yet always looking at the horizon, pointing as if he can see the answer to any problem thrown at him.
Commission: City of Albany, 2004 |
| | Terry Humble | | Cast Bronze Vancouver Arts Centre
85 Vancouver Street
Albany “Dancer” Was made in memory of the late Mary Thomson, Freeman of the Town of Albany, who was a dedicated and passionate supporter of the arts, as well as many other community organisations in Albany.
Commission: Albany Arts Council (1997) |
| | Jon Tarry | | Timber, stone and metal Albany Justice Complex
Stirling Tce
Albany The sculpture represents the scales of justice and incorporates coastal navigation markers, as well as rock and plant forms. The artwork was part of the Government’s Percent for Art Scheme where up to one percent of the building costs is allocated for the commissioning of artworks.
Commission: Dept. of the Attorney General |
| | Jon Tarry | | Aluminium and paint Albany Entertainment Centre
Princess Royal Drive, Albany
Albany “Underneath and Inbetween” These two artworks represent a gateway or threshold to the complex. Through a strong dialogue with the architectural quality of the building, the sculptural forms are intended to activate the space and indicate shelter from the elements. Reference is made to the landforms of granite boulders where the strong seas meet gentle shallows and hint at ancient mammals that swim by. Commission: Great Southern Development Commission, Management by Dept of Treasury and Finance |
| | Raphael van der Waag, Sue Codee, Athol Farmer & members of the Borden community | | Metal Series of sculptured Magpies will be found throughout the town of Borden.
Borden “The Magpie Flight Path” The metal magpies, in tribes at either end of the town and dotted in a flight path throughout the town centre on old electricity and telephone poles, represent communication, history, community togetherness, survival of a tribe and pride in ourselves, our aims, our lives and our town, Borden.
A Borden community arts project, 2007 |
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