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| Collection: Brisbane City Council I was commissioned by the Brisbane City Council to make this public artwork, as they were aware of my activities as an environmental artist. The brief was for me to recycle any of the left over roadside materials at the new entrance to Kangaroo Point near Story Bridge, where there were major new road constructions taking place. I came across piles of reject guardrails and concrete pipes and decided to use these to make this totemic construction. I envisioned it as a spiralling totemic tree like structure, kind of like a wind chime, which would both reflect the grass below and be large enough to act as a landmark for the community who live at Kangaroo Point. I named the artwork, “The Guardian” - A work heralding the new, much safer entrance to Kangaroo Point, it was also a pun on the reuse of guard rails. I always look out for it when I’m up in Brisbane - I live in Byron Bay. I think what I like the most, is how it’s changing with the elements over the years and settling into the landscape in different ways, the surrounding trees have grown and the Guardian is not so brand spanking new now, as the intersection was also then. I think my highlight in seeing the Guardian, was one time when I flew over Brisbane and my wife Rago and I could see it from the plane. From what I’ve heard people love it and have commented to me over the years that they see it as being a really positive addition to the public art landscape, seen across Brisbane and in QLD. I did extensive public consultation in the form of meetings with the Kangaroo Point community in the early stages of this project to inform them about the work and to gauge any possible concerns and feel their response and support. It was unanimously supported. Another point about the Guardian which I’m pleased to mention, is that it’s gone on to be the focus of a number of university thesis studies, with the focus being on public art work that shares with the community positive messages about recycling and Re-use in the creative process. |
