Cloud Arch

Last updated

Cloud Arch is a proposed public artwork by Junya Ishigami for George Street, Sydney.

Contents

The sculpture is proposed to be a ribbon of twisted, white stainless steel, representing the shape of a cloud, originally designed to be 58 metres (190 ft) tall and with a span of 53 metres (174 ft). It is intended to "frame" the Sydney Town Hall, and be visible from all approach directions as part of the pedestrianisation of the street. The arch would span the tram tracks of the light rail line running up George Street. [1] The feet of Cloud Arch will be placed on diagonally opposite corners of one of Sydney's busiest intersections, George and Park Street; the sculpture will stand among the Town Hall, the Queen Victoria Building, and The Galeries Victoria.

Originally it was to be installed in 2019 but due to the increased costs ($22m, over the initial estimate of $9m) and disputes about site access during the construction of the light rail, planning for the project was postponed until 2020. [2] [3] As of 2022, the project is on hold. [4]


Announcement

The sculpture was announced on 29 July 2014 as part of a $9 million package of public artworks for Sydney. Cloud Arch was originally expected to cost $3.5 million. [5] The four other artists shortlisted for the George Street sculpture were New Zealander Bill Culbert, Song Dong of China, Australian Mikala Dwyer, and Ugo Rondinone of Switzerland. [5] Announced at the same time were Pavilion by Hany Armanious, a 13-metre-tall (43 ft) milk crate to be placed in Belmore Park, and The Distance of Your Heart by Tracey Emin, to consist of 60 bronze bird sculptures perched on poles and above doorways in the northern end of the central business district. [6] Development applications for the sculptures were to be lodged by the end of 2015.

Remodelling

In 2017, the design was remodelled as a result of the original being incompatible with requirements of the new light rail infrastructure running beneath it. [7] Trams will pass beneath the arch as part of the new south east light rail network, which links Circular Quay and Central Station through George Street. The sculpture's new design was necessary to compensate for the subterranean changes. It requires more steel, is wider and heavier than the one originally proposed (now at 53 metres wide using 140 tonnes of steel, rather than 28.5 metres wide using 58 tonnes). [8] The increased width and the rise in cost from the initial expectation of A$3.5 million to $11.3 million, explained as due to changes in the price of steel since 2015, were both criticised, although it was pointed out that the city spends two-thirds that amount every year for temporary works for Sydney New Year's Eve. [9] [10] On 29 August 2017, a six to four majority of city councillors voted to approve the sculpture. [7] It was originally expected to be completed by March 2019, to coincide with the original planned opening of the George Street light rail line. However, the project was placed on hold in 2018, with the City of Sydney Council stating that it would be revisited as part of the "Town Hall Square" project, a proposal to demolish a number of nearby buildings to create a large plaza east of Sydney Town Hall. [4]

Critical response

Immediate reactions to the announcement of the sculpture were broadly supportive, with positive responses from professional critics, [11] [12] one of whom wrote: "its dance like thrown ribbon in the sky, will excite Sydney's municipal heart, a lasso to the heavens". [10] Popular reaction was dominated by dismissive similes – comparisons of Cloud Arch to everyday objects, and whimsical nicknames for the work, such as "space noodle". [13] [14] [15] However, as one writer explained: "Good art makes us see something anew. It's not about money, or tourism, or popularity. It's about insight – and if it comes with delight and wit, all the better." [10] During the December 2018 city council debate to defer the project it was described by opposition politicians as a “ridiculous vanity project”, [16] the same week The Sydney Morning Herald ran an editorial strongly defending the project. [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

Sydney Most populous city in Australia

Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Port Jackson and extends about 70 km (43.5 mi) on its periphery towards the Blue Mountains to the west, Hawkesbury to the north, the Royal National Park to the south and Macarthur to the south-west. Sydney is made up of 658 suburbs, spread across 33 local government areas. Residents of the city are known as "Sydneysiders". As of June 2021, Sydney's estimated metropolitan population was 5,231,147, meaning the city is home to approximately 66% of the state's population. Nicknames of the city include the 'Emerald City' and the 'Harbour City'.

Santiago Calatrava Spanish engineer and architect

Santiago Calatrava Valls is a Spanish architect, structural engineer, sculptor and painter, particularly known for his bridges supported by single leaning pylons, and his railway stations, stadiums, and museums, whose sculptural forms often resemble living organisms. His best-known works include the Olympic Sports Complex of Athens, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Turning Torso tower in Malmö, Sweden, the World Trade Center Transportation Hub in New York City, the Auditorio de Tenerife in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas, Texas, and his largest project, the City of Arts and Sciences and Opera House in his birthplace, Valencia. His architectural firm has offices in New York City, Doha, and Zürich.

Clover Moore Australian politician

Clover Margaret Moore is an Australian politician. She has been the Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney since 2004 and is currently the longest serving Lord Mayor of Sydney since the creation of the City of Sydney in 1842. She was an independent member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1988 to 2012, representing the electorates of Bligh (1988–2007) and Sydney (2007–2012). Her "recurrent motif" is described as "making Sydney more liveable for individuals and families". Moore is the first popularly elected female Lord Mayor of Sydney.

Light rail in Sydney

The Sydney light rail network is a light rail system serving the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The network currently consists of three passenger routes, the L1 Dulwich Hill, L2 Randwick and L3 Kingsford lines. The network comprises 42 stops and a system length of 24.7 km (15.3 mi), making it the second largest light rail network in Australia behind the Yarra Trams network in Melbourne, Victoria.

Queen Victoria Building Building in the central business district of Sydney, Australia

The Queen Victoria Building is a heritage-listed late-nineteenth-century building designed by the architect George McRae located at 429–481 George Street in the Sydney central business district, in the Australian state of New South Wales. The Romanesque Revival building was constructed between 1893 and 1898 and is 30 metres (98 ft) wide by 190 metres (620 ft) long. The domes were built by Ritchie Brothers, a steel and metal company that also built trains, trams and farm equipment. The building fills a city block bounded by George, Market, York, and Druitt Streets. Designed as a marketplace, it was used for a variety of other purposes, underwent remodelling, and suffered decay until its restoration and return to its original use in the late twentieth century. The property is owned by the City of Sydney and was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 5 March 2010.

Sydney Monorail

The Sydney Monorail was a single-loop monorail in Sydney, Australia, that connected Darling Harbour, Chinatown and the Sydney central business and shopping districts. It opened in July 1988 and closed in June 2013.

Anish Kapoor British contemporary artist

Sir Anish Kapoor is a British-Indian sculptor specializing in installation art and conceptual art, born in Mumbai.

General Post Office, Sydney Historic building in Sydney, Australia

The General Post Office is a heritage-listed landmark building located in Martin Place, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The original building was constructed in two stages beginning in 1866 and was designed under the guidance of Colonial Architect James Barnet. Composed primarily of local Sydney sandstone, mined in Pyrmont, the primary load-bearing northern façade has been described as "the finest example of the Victorian Italian Renaissance Style in NSW" and stretches 114 metres (374 ft) along Martin Place, making it one of the largest sandstone buildings in Sydney.

Junya Ishigami Japanese architect (born 1974)

Junya Ishigami is a Japanese architect.

Central Park, Sydney

Central Park is a major mixed-use urban renewal project in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia located on Broadway in the suburb of Chippendale. The development is focused on a new public park located just off Broadway of approximately 6,500 square metres (70,000 sq ft) in size. For many decades the southern side of Broadway was dominated by a brewery, which closed in the 2000s and the site was put up for sale. Frasers Property purchased the site from the Foster's Group on 29 June 2007. On a difficult site, the design fitted the towers around the streets, created new public spaces and connections to the city, added 30,000 specially selected plants, included art work, and incorporated pedestrian as well as vehicular access.

Inner West Light Rail Light rail line in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

The Inner West Light Rail is a 12.8-kilometre (8.0 mi) light rail line in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, running from Central railway station through the Inner West to Dulwich Hill and serving 23 stops. It is the original line of the Sydney light rail network, and was originally known as Sydney Light Rail. Light rail services on the line are now branded as the L1 Dulwich Hill Line.

CBD and South East Light Rail Light rail line in Sydney, Australia

The CBD and South East Light Rail is a light rail line in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Construction commenced in October 2015, with services between Circular Quay and Randwick commencing on 14 December 2019 as the L2 Randwick Line, and between Circular Quay and Kingsford on 3 April 2020 as the L3 Kingsford Line. It is part of Sydney's light rail network.

<i>Gate to the Northwest Passage</i> Sculpture by Alan Chung Hung in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Gate to the Northwest Passage is a 1980 sculpture by Alan Chung Hung, located adjacent to the Vancouver Maritime Museum in Vanier Park in the Kitsilano neighborhood of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The 4.6-metre (15 ft) sculpture of a square, cut and twisted "like a paper clip" to form an arch, is composed of weathered Corten steel that rusts to provide a protective layer. The work was installed in 1980 to commemorate the arrival of Captain George Vancouver in Burrard Inlet, following a competition sponsored by Parks Canada one year prior. Gate to the Northwest Passage received an adverse reaction initially, but reception has improved over time. The sculpture has been included in walking tours of the surrounding neighborhoods as a highlight of Vanier Park.

Newcastle Light Rail

The Newcastle Light Rail is a light rail system in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, running from Newcastle Interchange through the central business district to Pacific Park. Major construction commenced in September 2017 and the line was opened on 17 February 2019. It is operated by Newcastle Transport for Transport for NSW.

Terrance Kippax Plowright is an Australian artist, based in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. His works include contemporary and figurative sculptures. He has designed and created large public sculptural water features and murals, substantial public cenotaphs, commemorative cast bronze sculptures, and a large body of religious and spiritual work that includes stained glass windows, altars, lecterns, baptismal fonts and mosaics.

Parramatta Light Rail Light rail line under construction in Sydney

The Parramatta Light Rail is a project for a twelve-kilometre (seven-mile) light rail line in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, which is currently under construction. The line will run from Westmead to Carlingford via the Western Sydney centre of Parramatta. The initial announcement of the project also included an eastern branch from Camellia to Strathfield. Plans to construct this branch were deferred in February 2017, and in October the original plans were replaced with a redesigned and truncated route to Sydney Olympic Park. The project will add to light rail in Sydney but the new line will be completely separated from the existing lines. It is being managed by Transport for NSW.

Calgary Central Library Public library in Calgary, Alberta

The Calgary Central Library, also known as the Calgary New Central Library (NCL), is a public library in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and the flagship branch of the Calgary Public Library system. The building is located in the Downtown East Village neighborhood and opened on November 1, 2018, replacing an earlier central branch built in the 1960s in Downtown Calgary.

Gold Fields House Office building in Sydney, Australia

Gold Fields House was a high rise office block in the Sydney central business district on the corner of Alfred and Pitt Streets. Completed in 1966, it was one of the earliest high rise buildings in Sydney. The tower of 27 storeys was designed by Peddle, Thorp and Walker "as a balance to the AMP Building" constructed four years earlier in 1962 at the other end of Circular Quay. Together they created a "gateway" to the city of Sydney. It was sold for redevelopment in 2014 and demolished in 2017/2018.

Lindy Lee is an Australian painter and sculptor of Chinese heritage, whose work blends the cultures of Australia and her ancestral China and explores her Buddhist faith. She has exhibited widely, and is particularly known for her large works of public art, such as several iterations of The Life of Stars at various locations in China and on the forecourt of the Art Gallery of South Australia, and The Garden of Cloud and Stone in Sydney's Chinatown district.

References

  1. ↑ Robertson, James (29 July 2014). "George Street sculpture revealed in $9m public art spending spree". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  2. ↑ Saulwick, Jacob (6 December 2018). "Sydney's $22m Cloud Arch sculpture another victim of light rail delays". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  3. ↑ Dunne, Nathan (15 December 2018). "'It's what makes the city your city': Sydney's battle for public art". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  4. 1 2 Cloud Arch, City Art Sydney
  5. 1 2 "Spectacular new artworks to transform the city centre". Media Centre. City of Sydney. 29 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  6. ↑ Neutze, Ben (29 July 2014). "Sydney to get 50m 'Cloud arch' for George Street". Daily Review. Crikey. Archived from the original on 29 July 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  7. 1 2 Visentin, Lisa (29 August 2017). "City of Sydney's Cloud Arch sculpture approved in fiery council meeting". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  8. ↑ Hall, Louise (25 August 2017). "More Cloud Arch: Remodelled design is wider, heavier and more than three times the price". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  9. ↑ Visentin, Lisa (24 August 2017). "New Cloud Arch: bigger and triple the price". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  10. 1 2 3 Farrelly, Elizabeth (8 September 2017). "Stop the name calling and let's talk art: Cloud Arch will excite Sydney". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  11. ↑ Farrelly, Elizabeth (29 July 2014). "Do Clover Moore's new sculptures do the trick?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  12. ↑ Robertson, James; Taylor, Andrew (30 July 2014). "Giant cloud sculpture for George Street leaves critics and public split". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  13. ↑ "'Cloud Arch' sculpture coming to Sydney: Like it or loathe it?". SBS. 29 July 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  14. ↑ "George St sculpture Cloud Arch gets Sydney talking". News.com.au . 29 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  15. ↑ Esposito, Brad (29 July 2014). "12 Things That Look Like The New Sydney #Spacenoodle". BuzzFeed . Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  16. ↑ Gorrey, Megan (11 December 2018). "'Vanity project': Clover Moore feels the heat over $22m sculpture fail". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  17. ↑ "Mayor must not compromise on Cloud Arch". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 December 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2018.

Coordinates: 33°52′23″S151°12′25″E / 33.872983°S 151.207018°E / -33.872983; 151.207018

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.