Public art commissions
Portraits of Glenroy
Picture This - Morgan Court
Morgan Court… a new destination, a place to meet friends, and somewhere to relax a moment and just enjoy Glenroy.
Picture This is a project that is bringing Morgan Court to life. This is your opportunity to imagine its future use and help to make it a more appealing space for the community to come together.
Be a part of it!
Pick up some chalk and add your portrait and ideas to the chalkboard picture frames on the wall.
Chalk is available during office hours at the Council Office on Pascoe Vale Road at the end of the mall.
This is a Moreland City Council place making project that uses art and other activities to build a stronger community.
Artist – Jenny McCracken
Many Hands Make Glenroy
A photographic documentary created by Carla Gottgens has uncovered the hidden treasures of the residents of Glenroy.
The evocative 72 - panel work by Ms Gottgens is on prominent and permanent display on pedestrian barriers along Glenroy Road, in Melbourne's north.
Commissioned by Moreland City Council to highlight the diverse backgrounds of the residents in Glenroy and create an installation that united the community, the photographic documentary involved 18 local households.
Ms Gottgens invited every member of the household to choose a cherished item and describe its meaning and personal significance. Each panel features their words, their name and the number of years they have lived in Glenroy.
"Glenroy has a huge number of long-term residents as well as recent migrants," she said.
"For this project, I chose to focus on each person's hands, holding their chosen object.
"By removing obvious identification factors such as faces and full names, the images are accessible to all passers-by who may relate to the chosen objects through memories of their own history and personal experiences."
Recent commissions
Public Works Art on Site – Snell Grove
As a part of the Snell Grove Public Works Art on Site temporary art project titled Permeable Barriers by artist Tim Craker, a short documentary of the project was produced by Worker B Films.
The film documents the artist at work and the concepts and ideas that informed this particular project.
As the street-scaping works in Snell Grove are now completed, the Permeable Barriers have subsequently being decommissioned.
The short documentary film provides an opportunity to not only reflect on the Permeable Barriers, but also allows the project to live on in posterity for those interested in its legacy.
Watch the Film Here
New Order by Louise Lavarack, Sparta Place Brunswick, 2009
Moreland City Council installed the public art work New Order by Louise Lavarack in Sparta Place, Brunswick.
Over the past few years, Sparta Place has become a vibrant public space more people are using.
It has been revitalised with major redevelopment and new boutique shops and cafes.
A public artwork will add to the cultural vitality, character and attractiveness of Sparta Place.
Artist's statement
New Order consists of five freestanding columns fixed to low concrete plinths spaced along Sparta Place. The form of each Greek-style column is delineated by a cage of galvanised steel uprights and mesh.
The cages are filled with recycled ‘kitchenalia’ – toasters, kettles, saucepans, mixing bowls, teapots, etc made from various materials including stainless steel, chrome and aluminium. Note that a portion of the kitchenalia was donated by members of the local community.
New Order is premised on the sister city relationship between Brunswick and Sparta. The artwork makes a direct reference to the ruined remains of ancient Greek architecture. However in Sparta Place, the universally recognised form of the classic Ionic column is constructed from contemporary domestic materials.
An intriguing interplay between past and present is thus set up. From a distance the line of columns suggests the grand architectural scale of the past, while at close quarters the more modest scale of contemporary domestic detail becomes apparent.
The surfaces of the metal objects will be affected by weathering to some degree and over time New Order will acquire a patina that subtly underscores a temporal reading of the work.
