Freeway sculpture unveiled in Melbourne's west

The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Friday, March 29, 2024


Freeway sculpture unveiled in Melbourne's west
Backyard, by local artist Jon Campbell, represents a stylised pop version of Campbell’s childhood backyard in the western suburb of Altona.



MELBOURNE.- Melbourne’s public art scene has a stunning addition, with a new sculpture unveiled alongside the Princes Freeway in Werribee.

Backyard, by local artist Jon Campbell, represents a stylised pop version of Campbell’s childhood backyard in the western suburb of Altona.

Described as a linear, multi-coloured design, like a billboard floating in space, Backyard invites viewers to reflect on their own environment and the spaces they inhabit.

It serves as a visual reminder of the $1.8 billion Western Roads Upgrade project – the biggest single investment in Melbourne’s suburban road network, which has delivered eight priority upgrades including three new bridges over the freeway, road widenings, intersection upgrades, 30 kilometres of duplicated lanes and major road rehabilitation works.

The works were delivered by Major Road Projects Victoria and the Netflow consortium as part of a Public Private Partnership, which includes maintaining a 260-kilometre arterial road network from Footscray to Werribee for an additional 20 years.

Backyard was the result of an independent commission selection process run by one of Australia’s leading sculpture authorities, Melbourne-based McClelland Sculpture Park+Gallery, which also manages the Southern Way sculpture commissions on Peninsula Link.

McClelland Director Lisa Byrne congratulated Jon on his work, saying the sculpture will inform and enliven the experience of road users travelling between Melbourne and Geelong.




“Public art has become a highly-visible and memorable component of major projects,” Ms Byrne said.

“Backyard echoes aspects of everyday life including sport and family, linking them to contemporary culture and history through design, colour, sculpture and storytelling. It embodies high aesthetic aspiration and constitutes a significant artistic statement for Melbourne’s western suburbs, and Australian sculpture more broadly.”

Artist Jon Campbell said the sculpture relates to commercial freeway billboards with its scale and composition.

“I’ve always liked the social aspect backyards bring to our lives,” Mr Campbell said.

“The backyard was a site of influential activity in my upbringing, playing cricket, family barbeques and birthdays. It was a space in which to dream and allowed me as a youngster to imagine hitting the winning runs or kicking the winning goal.

“There is a myth attached to the backyard and a strong desire to have one. Maybe the backyard is not everyone’s dream, but as a space for connection, contemplation and shared activity it remains a desirable and aspirational goal of suburban Melbourne.”

Netflow CEO Pedro Uzquiza said the art highlighted the community benefit brought by successful public-private partnerships.

“This art is part of a broader landscaping and urban design approach that has provided quality and sustainable public amenity and design across the project,” Mr Uzquiza said.

“In addition to Netflow’s support of key non-profit community organisations for 23 years, it is a highly visible reminder of the significant and long-term investment being made in the west and demonstrates the value that can be achieved through public-private partnerships.”










Today's News

August 27, 2021

He sold antiquities for decades, many of them fake, investigators say

'Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed' review: No gloss

Sotheby's to offer restituted collection of Oppenheimer Meissen porcelain

Nationalmuseum acquires 'An Allegory of War' by Louis Masreliez

Spike Lee reedits HBO Sept. 11 series that features conspiracists

'The Analogue Years': AFP to hold first photo auction

National Portrait Gallery announces shortlist for Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2021

Paul Holberton publishes 'Titian, the Della Rovere Dynasty, & his Portrait of Guidobaldo II and his Son'

Incredibly rare original artwork for Calvin and Hobbes comic strip heads to auction

Wong Ping's candy-colored, taboo-smashing world

Frank Frazetta's 1973 painting 'Captive Princess' is liberated, heading to auction for the first time

Nevada Museum of Art appoints Apsara DiQuinzio Senior Curator of Contemporary Art

The dream may be over for New York's Grand Prospect Hall

Michael Morgan, adventurous Oakland maestro, dies at 63

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago appoints Laura Herrera as Senior Director of Communications and Content

Earliest Hong Kong banknote sells for £161,200 at Dix Noonan Webb

Sequins and soul-searching in the competitive dance world

At Rockaway, dancing for the sea, the sky, the sand and the birds

Freeway sculpture unveiled in Melbourne's west

Big bold gold

Jean Breeze, first woman of dub poetry, dies at 65

Why the baby on Nirvana's 'Nevermind' album is suing now

Road car choice of F1 drivers Juan Manuel Fangio, Jean Behra and Mike Hawthorn to be offered at H&H Classics

ACE Open announces Allison Chhorn as the recipient of the 2022 Porter Street Commission

Why online casinos offer free spins

SETTING UP PLATE CARRIER

Domain Registration in Singapore - Full Guide

8 Instagram Tips for Small Businesses

How to Write a Resume in 2021 │ Beginner's Guide │ ResumeGets.com

How Long Does It Take To Shoot A Film?




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez

sa gaming free credit
Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful