Media Releases
MEDIA RELEASE 27 MAY 2010
SCAPE 2010 artists announced
Seven new large-scale temporary public artworks will join with four of the city’s permanent works to form a public art walkway from the Convention Centre in Kilmore Street to Wilson Reserve at the entrance to CPIT, during SCAPE 2010, the 6th Christchurch Biennial presented by the Art & Industry Biennial Trust.
New Zealand’s premier biennial of art in public space, to be held in Christchurch from 24 September to 7 November 2010, has in the last 10 years established a platform for local, national and international artists to develop dynamic, critical and progressive new permanent and temporary public artworks.
For SCAPE 2010 the Trust is commissioning temporary works by Darryn George (New Zealand); Joanna Langford (New Zealand); Richard Maloy (New Zealand); Ruth Watson (New Zealand); Ash Keating (Australia); Ahmet Öğüt (Turkey/The Netherlands) and Hector Zamora (Mexico/Brazil). Linking Blue at the Christchurch Convention Centre, Flour Power and Nucleus in High Street and the recently unveiled design for Passing Time at Wilson Reserve, these artists’ temporary artworks will form the SCAPE 2010 Public Art Walkway.
The programme of public artworks will explore art in the city centre and prompt discussion about our urban environment. The inner city is both the site and subject for SCAPE 2010 addressing topics which include cities of the future, urban growth, sustainability and urban regeneration. Christchurch, like many cities all over the world, is looking to new urban planning and development models to create a more livable, populated and environmentally sustainable inner city. SCAPE 2010 artist projects will explore existing experiences and future projections of the inner city as a collective, civic space.
Blair French, SCAPE 2010 Curatorial Group Convenor says, “The SCAPE 2010 Public Art Walkway will bring both the permanent and temporary works together, highlighting a kind of play or tension that might exist in the relationship between the two.”
The new permanent public sculpture Passing Time by Anton Parsons, commissioned by Christchurch City Council and Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT), will be built and unveiled for the opening of SCAPE 2010. Art & Industry Biennial Trust Chairman, Bob Blyth, says, “For each SCAPE Christchurch Biennial, the Trust has worked with partners to ensure that at least one new public artwork remains in the city. This year Art & Industry Biennial Trust is delighted to be project manager for this new work maintaining our commitment to growing Christchurch’s collection of quality public artworks.”
SCAPE is unique in that it matches artists with industry, materials, intellectual property and resources to enable the production of innovative new artworks, attracting and involving communities in the exploration of contemporary art.
New to SCAPE 2010 is the SCAPE 2010 Hub located in Cathedral Square –a starting point for visitors, groups and students to begin their exploration of the SCAPE 2010 Public Art Walkway. SCAPE 2010 Education and Outreach Programmes will offer workshops, teaching resources, opportunities to meet the artists, guided tours of the artworks, competitions, a virtual (on-line) hub, keynote talks and an opening weekend symposium (24-26 September). A new SCAPE 2010 Publication will be published in two stages with the first (a comprehensive visitor guide and reader) available at the opening of SCAPE 2010 and the second to follow the close of SCAPE 2010, dedicated to documentation of the individual artists’ projects and newly commissioned writing.
Governing Patron of Art & Industry Biennial Trust Lady Stewart says, “The mark of a great city is the strength of its cultural life, and arts organisation can be a powerful economic force, acting as a magnet for tourism. Even more importantly, the SCAPE Christchurch Biennial can help to educate, inspire residents and stimulate creativity in the workplace and wider community’.
“We hope that these public artworks being produced for SCAPE 2010 will challenge, educate, provoke and create debate making us think as a community about public art and above all making us aware of our significant city spaces and how we might interpret and enjoy them,” says Art & Industry Biennial Trust, Director, Deborah McCormick.
Ends – high resolution images are available
Note to the media: Blair French, SCAPE 2010, Curatorial Group Convenor will be in Christchurch and available for interviews between 31 May - 2 June 2010.
Media enquires: Deborah McCormick, SCAPE Christchurch Biennial T: +64 3 365 7990 M: +64 27 280 955, artandindustry@xtra.co.nz