Urban Fountains and Furniture worked with the Brisbane City Council (BCC) to design, manufacture and install a platform for temporary artwork at the Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The platform was placed in the entry precinct of the botanical gardens.
Beyond the sporting competition, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games held a promise of transformative legacy for creating active and inclusive communities, diversity and economic growth, and greater reconciliation for all Australians. The BCC had planned the artwork platform to deliver on this promise. The placement of this platform and the artwork would add to the landmark arrival experience and give a positive first impression that encourages visitors to step inside and discover the beautiful botanical gardens.
Urban Fountains and Furniture designed and fabricated the platform as a subdued piece of infrastructure that would not overshadow the gardens and artworks. However, the detailing and finishes present the platform as an attractive standalone landscape feature when no artwork is installed.
While most of the structure was completed onsite, some of the elements needed to be fabricated offsite and craned into position. The platform is structurally engineered and certified to allow artworks of different sizes and complexities to be safely displayed.
Situated on a garden bed of Australian native species, the platform is illuminated by LED lighting from all four sides to showcase the artworks for late-night visitors. Functionally, the design of the platform is user-friendly, low maintenance and very flexible with permanent bolt-down locations installed to allow artworks of any size to be installed for display.
In addition to the artwork platform, Urban also manufactured an attribution stand to give visitors an insight into the artwork and the artist.
Urban is proud to be part of a creation that contributes to Brisbane’s cultural identity and gives visitors an opportunity to reflect in the beautiful natural surrounds.
Images: The artwork displays were created by Jamie North in Sydney. Titled ‘Remainder No. 20 and 21’, these eroded spheres demonstrate the highly altered environments we live in today, and fit seamlessly with the surrounding landscape.
