Why Early Collaboration Creates Impactful Public Art

Great public art is undeniably of its place, thoughtfully integrated into the environments and communities with which it shares a close affinity.

Achieving this requires close collaboration between key project stakeholders at the commencement of design discussions—architects, engineers, planners, qualified public art consultants, and importantly, artists.

Visionary thinking and clever provisioning at this early stage enables creative outcomes to blossom throughout and influence the development process without yielding to avoidable (or preemptable) structural, planning or budgetary limitations.

The commissioning frameworks for public art in private developments implemented by council and state authorities around Australia go varying lengths to champion this approach.

By requiring the submission of a public art plan or strategy to fulfil DA milestones, public artworks both mandated and discretionary enjoy the benefits of Early Contractor Involvement afforded to the other built forms and amenities procured for a site.

Skilled curatorial practitioners will scope building envelopes and the surrounding public domain for high-quality artwork opportunities with consideration for local planning controls and asset ownership, cost, and the aspirations of the designers diligently leading architectural and landscape schemes.

It is during this process that shared priorities begin to inform the specific set of parameters that will comprise an artist’s brief, in the interest of maximising a work’s aesthetic impact and relevance to place.

Throughout this process, project teams tease out the storytelling available to a given setting such that efforts to contribute meaningfully to place-specific narratives can be pursued in concert.

There are countless examples of this successful integration in carriage, including Waanyi artist Judy Watson’s landmark project, ngarunga nangama: calm water dream, which reinstates the sandstone that was excavated during construction works at its prominent 200 George Street location in Sydney’s Circular Quay.

More than 300sq m of etched and treated stone tiling comprises the expansive artwork by council and state authorities, which evocatively maps Country and the cultural memory of the site across a surface imbued with these very same elements.

Allegory of a Cave by renowned Australian artist Emily Floyd also coalesces rigorously with its built context, comprising boldly coloured ‘building blocks’ of varying heights that provide a playful soffit to Charter Hall’s One Parramatta Square (1PSQ) address.

Developed in close collaboration with Western Sydney University, the education hub enjoys an impressive presentation to the public thoroughfare thanks in part to Floyd’s innovative artwork (pictured, top) which reinterprets Greek philosopher Plato’s musings around the pedagogical influence of caves for contemporary audiences. 

In these instances, precise architectural integration has been achieved through spirited collaboration between project stakeholders early in development programs.

The locations and forms for public art align to client objectives and make the most appropriate use of project resources while contributing powerfully to placemaking endeavours site-wide.

Projects of this kind testify to the fruits of a multi-vocal workflow, which invites a diverse group of experts to redefine what can be accomplished, together.