BUILDING BLOCKS FOR QUAY QUARTER

Public

25 Jan

Written By Guest User

ATTENTION SEEKING MOBILE STREET FURNITURE / SCULPTURE THING

Building Blocks appeared in a different location each day for a week, from Alfred to Bridge streets and Phillip to Young streets, Circular Quay in December 2013.

Led by Artistic Director Jess Scully and commissioned by AMP Capital, this collaboration brought together street artist, Jumbo, colour master Lymesmith, and award-winning architecture firm Fearns Studio. The team delivered a fresh new structure each day, bringing life to the streets through design, colour and amenity. The installation was designed to invite workers, residents and visitors to stop, take a seat, play a game and start a conversation.

THE COLOURS

Attracting attention by using the brightest colours possible is quite easy - holding that attention and arousing curiosity is another matter.

Building Blocks had to be immediately attractive, and at the same it had to draw people into an unplanned encounter. I deliberately mimicked some familiar local colours - in this case the colours of the iconic AMP tower; e.g. white and green marble, gold spandrels, black steel. Into this respectable foundation I introduced a contrasting set of happy, almost silly, sweet colours; aqua, pink and orange. The interplay of the two palettes proved to be intriguing and irresistible. Over the course of the week long event the most commonly heard phrase was “I have no idea what this is for, but I just love the colours!”. The curiosity of the visitor enabled the team of 'Block Wranglers' to engage with and inform the public about AMPC's vision for Quay Quarter.

"We all know what climate and music will do to create different moods, but one factor often not understood or neglected is the influence of colour. It is always there in our surroundings, in a room, apartment, or house, in our clothing and in our furnishings. It can contribute towards health or take away from it; it can cheer up or depress the emotions; it can invigorate or devitalize the body; it can give pleasure to the eyes or irritate them."