brunswick street mall redevelopment · brunswick street mall redevelopment – artwork commissions...

1 BRUNSWICK STREET MALL REDEVELOPMENT – ARTWORK COMMISSIONS EOI, October 2013

BRUNSWICK STREET MALL REDEVELOPMENT ARTWORK COMMISSIONS - EXPRESSION OF INTEREST DUE: 5pm, 11 October 2013

Image: Concept Render, PLACE Design Team, 2013


INTRODUCTION The Brisbane City Council (BCC) is currently undertaking a redevelopment of the Brunswick Street Mall in Fortitude Valley. This redevelopment commenced in March 2013 and is due for completion in mid-2014. The BCC engaged PLACE Design Group (PLACE) to lead a team of consultants to prepare a Concept Design Proposal for the redeveloped Mall and PLACE invited CREATIVEMOVE, a Brisbane-based visual arts consultancy, to research and develop the Artwork and Creative Activation Strategy for the new Mall. The BCC has recently approved the re-design of the Mall by the PLACE Design Group to recapture the role of the Mall as the creative hub of the Fortitude Valley precinct. CREATIVEMOVE is working closely with PLACE and the BCC to commission artists for the two major opportunities – the Catenary artwork and the Ground Plane artwork. CREATIVEMOVE is now seeking Expressions of Interest from artists to be considered for two artwork commission opportunities for the redeveloped Brunswick Street Mall in Fortitude Valley - the Catenary and Ground Plane Artworks. The total commissioning budget for the public art element of the Mall redevelopment is approximately $150,000. Both of these key artworks are central to the re-design and are thematically linked through the curatorial rationale of resonance and reverberation, reflecting the history of the site and the Mall’s connection to the creative industries which flourish in the precinct.


PROJECT BACKGROUND PLACE was commissioned in March 2013 by the BCC in association with Fortitude Valley Economic Development Board (FVEDB) to carry out concept design for the Brunswick Street Mall. The commission had a defined brief of:

Economic revitalisation of the Mall is a priority o Reposition advice / strategy to maximise economic and place making outcomes o Identification of long term income generation opportunities for BCC o Reducing impact to existing businesses

Reinforce the “Creative Entertainment Hub” as presented in the planning scheme o Identification of catalyst opportunities, includes art strategies, tenant strategies, real

estate strategies o Increase daytime activity and prosperity o Create a key destination for locals and visitors, that is unique

A detailed concept design for the Mall space itself o Multiuse space for events o Public community space o New pavements and artwork o Shade and shelter o Improved access and character

Increased safety CREATIVEMOVE was engaged as part of the PLACE Design Team to contribute Art and Creative Activation Strategies for the development of the Brunswick Street Mall Concept Design for the BCC. PLACE has now been engaged by BCC to deliver the next stage of the project which includes the commissioning of two permanent artworks:

Catenary artwork; and

Ground Plane artwork.


CURATORIAL RATIONALE Resonance and Reverberation From at least the 1970s, the Fortitude Valley precinct has resonated with the sound of live, often original contemporary music, and the throng of pleasure-seeking, experience-amplifying, demographically diverse individuals and groups – out to have a good time and a different experience. The Mall in particular has been Brisbane’s magnet for many individual human vibrations which arguably have amplified into a much larger social ‘resonance’ or magnified set of strong human emotions, stories and recollections – of participation and anticipation; of celebration and letting loose; of expectations, warranted or unwarranted; of both creating and satisfying desires; and of altering our normalcy. The curatorial rationale for the Brunswick Street Mall recognises and celebrates the resonance of the site, its history and diverse mix of cultures. It reflects the business operations and activities that embrace the reverberation that the physical and cultural interventions will bring into the place. The rationale levers poetically off the understanding of the term ‘resonance’ within the fields of chemistry, physics and medicine:

the intensification and enriching of a musical tone by supplementary vibration

a quality imparted to voiced sounds by vibration in anatomical resonating chambers

a quality of richness or variety

the enhancement of an atomic, nuclear, or particle reaction or a scattering event by excitation of internal motion in the system

a synchronous gravitational relationship of two celestial bodies (as moons) that orbit a third (as a planet) which can be expressed as a simple ratio of their orbital periods

In this context resonance is the symbolic connected energy between space, history and cultural memory – an intergenerational passage of experiences that comprise the shared recollections of friends and lovers, hook-ups and break-ups, gigs and events - usually fuelled by live or loud music and substances of varying levels of legality, enhancements of their time but timelessly experienced and administered.

Images top to bottom: Surface Tension by Jason Bruges, Seven Versions of the Sun by Daniel Boyd, Field by Antony Gormley

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resonating


It also connects with the understanding of the term ‘reverberation’:

vibrates in step with an externally applied vibration

the vibration induced in a string of a given pitch when a note of the same pitch is produced nearby

makes it possible for certain communication devices to accept signals of some frequencies while rejecting others

when emotions respond to the application of a range of stimuli by emitting or absorbing new experiences

In this context reverberation is the understanding that the Mall is as much collective memory and

accrued oral histories, echoing in a communal contemporary psyche as much as it is apparent as a

reclaimed vehicular street with an aggregation of venues, food outlets, historical facades, stained paving

and discordant furniture. It is as much a ‘time’ (of our lives) as it is a location (in our city) - a period of

perpetual youth, or at least an hallucination of youth - an acute familiarity of compromised pleasure and

fun, on the edges of legality and social vulnerability in almost equal proportions. Resonance and

reverberation are proposed as helpful conceptual tools for us to navigate our construct of that

intergenerational experience in somewhat shifting and unreliable reminiscence - as authentic as our

attempts may be to navigate the shared recollection and the shared amnesia.

ARTWORK OPPORTUNITIES The Art Strategy proposed two permanent artworks to be commissioned as part of the Mall

redevelopment, guided by the curatorial theme of resonance and reverberation:

• Catenary Artwork - suspended catenary artworks to contribute to the character and

atmosphere of the Mall without creating a footprint within the ground plane. (see pages 6 & 7)

• Ground Plane Artwork – integrated treatments which may incorporate graphic imagery familiar

to street art, posters, hand bills, record covers and stencil art. (see pages 8 &9)

Images top to bottom: Capturing Resonance by Sculptor Soo Sunny Park and Sound Artist Spencer Topel, Floating unknown artist at Misawa Aviation and Science Museum

http://www.merriam-webster.com/concise/magnetic%20field


CATENARY ARTWORK – ARTWORK OPPORTUNITY

Located in two key zones of the central region within the Mall, the suspended Catenary Artwork is the

major artwork commission within the redevelopment that will contribute to the creation of a unique,

immersive environment within the highly active entertainment zone without creating a footprint within

the ground plane.

Created as part of the overhead catenary system, this integrated artwork will provide a central feature

within the Mall while also contributing to the provision of shade, shelter and potentially lighting. The

two artwork locations are above key access points across the Mall to Liquorice Lane and the TC Beirne

building and McWhirter’s are marked on the Concept Design plan below.

Artwork locations

Wickham Street

Ann St

McWhirter’s

TCB Building

Images top to bottom: Wind Grid by Tim Knowles, Jason Bruges, Christmas Lighting in City of St. Gallen in Switzerland by Jakob.


CATENARY ARTWORK - ARTWORK BRIEF

ARTWORK FORM

For this opportunity the artist/designer is asked to consider the following possibilities:

a response to the curatorial rationale of resonance and reverberation, in particular the Mall’s

central connection to Brisbane’s thriving contemporary music scene

the creation of a feeling of activity and atmosphere – amplification, vibrations, intensification,

energy, history and cultural memory

an intensity of elements positioned to create central focus with the highly active zone

alternate day and night presence - lighting is proposed as part of the catenary structure and the

selected artist is encouraged to collaborate with the project lighting designer to explore lighting

effects/projections as part of their concept design

Due to the highly integrated nature of this artwork opportunity, collaboration with the PLACE Design

team during Concept and throughout the project will be required and artists/designers will also be

expected to consider and respond to the following design requirements:

the artwork may be sculptural and/or two dimensional panels fixed to the catenary system

artwork elements may be fixed below, above or suspended from the catenary structure and

artists will be requested to work in collaboration with the project engineer to ensure feasibility

of concepts proposed

the catenary structure will be approximately 6 metres high, 17 metres long and 10.5 metres

wide

30% coverage should be achieved to provide both shading and weather protection

the artwork is to be created from bold, highly visible elements

drainage of water during downpours should also be considered in consultation with the design

team

See appendices C - G for more detailed catenary description and visualisations

Concept render only to illustrate scale and suggested form of

catenary structure


GROUND PLANE ARTWORK – ARTWORK OPPORTUNITY

Ground plane treatments as public artworks are well-known and documented as an engagement

strategy with pedestrians. Such treatments can take the form of text treatments – poetry, song lyrics,

prose excerpts; floral or vegetation patterns derived from the place; abstract patterning derived from

existing architectural references within the precinct; Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander story

motifs and designs – either executed in shot-blasted treatment, ceramic inserts, or coloured concrete

patterning; and various combinations of these approaches.

The proposal for the redevelopment of the Mall is to relate to the rationale of resonance and

reverberation through connection to the music by Queensland bands and performers who have had a

significant connection to the Mall or the Valley precinct. The artworks will be sited within two elliptical

performance ‘spotlight’ zones designed into the ground plane of the Mall, see images below.

Artwork locations

Wickham Street

Ann St

McWhirters’

TCB Building

Images top to bottom: Collaboration Gordon Young with Why Not Associates, National Police Memorial by UAP, Jennifer Marchant and Bureau Proberts


GROUND PLANE ARTWORK – ARTWORK BRIEF

ARTWORK FORM

For this opportunity the artist/designer is asked to consider the following possibilities:

a response to the curatorial rationale of resonance and reverberation, in particular the Mall’s

central connection to Brisbane’s thriving contemporary music scene

the artwork may be conceived as a elements of text, pattern, drawings or designs which relate

to the site and curatorial rationale and reference

the works may incorporate graphic imagery familiar to street art, posters, hand bills, record

covers, stencil art, etc.

Due to the highly integrated nature of this artwork opportunity, collaboration with the PLACE Design

team during Concept Design and throughout the project will be required and artists/designers will also

be expected to consider and respond to the following design requirements:

the specified surface finish used will be concrete – in large scale slabs

a number of integration opportunities exist and the preferred method will need to be identified

with the design team to ensure maximum impact across the Mall but it is likely that the work

will be sand blasted into the ground plane

the artworks will be located in two elliptical performance ‘spotlight’ zones designed into the

ground plane of the Mall

the artwork zones are approximately 8 metres and 5 metres diameter each in scale

artists may also wish to consider the use of coloured lighting on the ground plane in

collaboration with the design team

Images top to bottom: Heaven and Earth by ASPECT Studios, Chinatown, Sydney, Roadsworth Street Art on Roads


ARTWORK COMMISSIONING PROCESS

The commissioning process for the two artwork opportunities will be guided by an Artwork Reference Group comprising:

Shawn Day, City Centre Place Manager, Brisbane City Council

Genevieve Searle, Public Art Officer, Brisbane City Council

Shaun Egan, Design Manager, PLACE Design Team

Ruth Hodgman, Director, Judith Wright Centre for Contemporary Arts and FVEDB Member

John Stafford, Director, CREATIVEMOVE Assessment Criteria Concept Designs will be considered by the Artwork Reference Group who will review and assess concepts submitted by artists against the following assessment criteria:

Strength and merit of the artistic concept

Connection and relevance of the concept with the curatorial rationale and project identity

Appropriateness of materials and other design elements

Suitability of fabrication methods and techniques

Ability to be achieved within budget and program timeframe


PROGRAM AND BUDGET

The following is a basic outline of the artwork commission program which has been developed to

accommodate the artists completing both Concept Design and Design Development processes in line

with the project program.

Description Key Dates

EOI Package distributed to local ARIs, galleries and networks 2 October – 11 October 2013

EOI closes 11 October 2013

Selected artists briefing meetings 17 October 2013

Artwork Concept Design (3 weeks) 17 October – 7 November 2013

Artwork Concept Designs presented to the BSM Art Reference Group 11 November 2013

Artwork Design Development (3.5 weeks) 14 November – 10 December 2013

Artwork Design Development presented to the BSM Art Reference Group 12 December 2013

Artwork Commission Stage February – September 2014

ARTWORKS PROJECT BUDGET

The following artwork budgets are indicative approaches for the artwork opportunities.

Catenary Artwork – the total allocation is TBC but will include the following:

Artist Concept Design Fee: $2,500

Artist Design Development Fee: $2,500

Artist Commission Fee: 10 – 15% of artwork budget (TBC)

Fabrication and Installation Allocation: (TBC)

Ground Plane Artwork – the total allocation is TBC but will include the following:

Artist Concept Design Fee (includes music advisor): $2,000

Artist Design Development (includes graphic design): $2,000

Artist Commission Fee: 10 – 15% of artwork budget (TBC)

Fabrication and Installation Allocation: (TBC)


EOI SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS To be considered for the curated shortlist of artists for either artwork opportunity you will need to provide:

a concise CV – no more than two A4 pages – with full contact details and provide links to your personal website or articles about your work which you believe are relevant to these commissions

five (5) images of your work which you believe are relevant to either one or both of these opportunities

an outline of your level of availability between October and December 2013 Please submit via email to: [email protected] with subject heading: BSM-EOI (YOUR NAME)

The submission deadline for Expressions of Interest is 5pm, Friday 11 October 2013. Please note that late submissions will not be considered. CONTACTS All enquiries should be directed to CREATIVEMOVE, either:

Jodie Cox Director, CREATIVEMOVE Mobile: 0410 697 503 Email: [email protected] John Stafford Director, CREATIVEMOVE Mobile: 0418 880 583 Email: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

brunswick street mall redevelopment · brunswick street mall redevelopment – artwork commissions...

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