Queenslanders are being asked to choose between a 10-storey kangaroo and an abstract spire as public art for their new park.
The $800,000 commission will be a focal point for a new public park on the site of the former TAFE college at Kangaroo Point in Brisbane.
Four artists were selected from a field of more than 60 local and international artists and invited to submit concepts for the project, known as Crescendo. The curatorial panel then selected Alex Pentek and Wolfgang Buttress as the final two.
The panel was impressed by Pentek’s “big, bold pop art” sculpture and noted that the origami folds of Corten A grade steel would reflect light at any time of day, provide shade for visitors and create a striking focal point that could be seen from many sight lines.
Wolfgang Buttress engaged with “a universal beauty” based on natural forms, said the panel. His sculpture references the intersecting rings of a nautilus shell. The panel said: “From a distance the form appears simple, and its detail is revealed only on closer inspection. The concept design scored highly on artistic merit and technical innovation, with the artist's experience and excellent track record also taken into consideration.”
The public is now charged with making the final decision. Voting opens today and will continue until 11 January 2010.
Above: Alex Pentek's Kangaroo sculpture.
Below: Wolfgang Buttress' Venus Rising; Tony Stallard's The 'Flinders' Tree; Wendy Mills' Water Beacon.
