Public Art Display “Aspire” Illuminates Sydney
Public art projects are crafted for a variety of reasons: to beautify an otherwise glum or ugly space, portray certain social or political ideals or reactions, commemorate a person or event, and so on… In any case, as its name implies, public art is almost always on display for anyone and everyone to see.
Last week “Aspire” by Sydney artist Warren Langley was installed beneath the Western Distributor at Ultimo – an ugly site below a freeway – in the artist’s Australian home city. “Aspire” is a glowing forest of illuminated trees, and is Sydney’s newest permanent artwork. Lord Mayor Clover Moore “switched on the lights” of the low-maintenance artwork on May 19th, publicly launching the public art project with the community.
“Aspire” has been a collaborative community art project 10 years in the making (with the first local workshops starting in 2000). Members of the community had direct involvement in developing briefs and selecting prominent public artists who had prepared concepts and tendered for the projects.
In addition to enlivening the unattractive area, the public art installation will improve public safety by illuminating the dark space. In doing so, “Aspire” will strengthen the pedestrian link between two communities, those of Pyrmont and Ultimo, providing a brighter and more engaging public space.
The internationally acclaimed Warren Langley is known for his light and landscape installations. He created “Aspire” to match the scale of the site and be visible to both pedestrians and traffic. The artist carefully selected materials and light sources that promote economic and ecological sustainability.
