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Ginninderry

The GX Art Trail Pilot Project

Ginninderry positions itself as a housing development different to the mainstream in its commitment to the environment, the local community and to the integration of the arts into the fabric of the development.

The GX Art Trail Pilot Project is a unique opportunity for Ginninderry to reaffirm its commitment to the arts and sustainability by showcasing within the display village hand crafted products made by local artists and craftspeople, creating a showcase of local creativity and adding a unique and high quality aesthetic to the display village.

The proximity of Ginninderry to the Strathnairn arts community demonstrates the existing presence of the arts and GX Art Trail Project strengthens this relationship by supporting not only the artists of Strathnairn but also the broader Capital Region arts community in providing a creative, integrated opportunity to showcase and offer for sale high quality art and craft works.

A curated group of artists and artisans have provided works for exhibition within the GX Display Village homes. These include decorative ceramic and glass works, prints, paintings and sculptural pieces. Products traditionally used to style display village homes are mostly mass produced, off the shelf items which lend a bland, mass market look to the environments.  The hand-made items strongly signal the commitment of Ginninderry to provide real support to local artists and craftspeople through the opportunity for sales and exposure

The works are offered for sale and can be viewed in the display homes and through a catalogue available in hard copy, on the Ginninderry website and via the GX phone app.

This project aims to reinforce Ginninderry as a hub for artists and as a place that supports artistic endeavor.

Each display home provides the opportunity to be individually curated as an exhibition. The exhibitions will be periodically rotated, with the product catalogue and online service being updated as necessary.

If you would like to be considered as a contributing artist for the GX Art Trail please contact susan@ginninderry.com for information on how to submit an Expression of Interest.

 

See the GX Art Trail Catalogue.

GX Art Trail Artist Profiles:

 

Link Art Space

The Link Art Space is an internal exhibition space within the Link, Ginninderry Project Office whose primary function is as a planning, sales and community activity area for the Ginninderry Project. This exhibition space is available to artists, groups of artists, schools and community groups.

The Art Space includes moveable screens and plinths in the Foyer area and an option to use the Wattle Room and external spaces as deemed acceptable. Use of other spaces within the Link is available subject to approval. Exhibitors are provided with the option to have an online exhibition running concurrently with the actual exhibition.

The exhibition currently on display is Let us Not Forget by Angharad Dean.

There is no cost to exhibitors to use the Link Art Space except for a non-refundable payment of $50.00 to cover cleaning costs for the period of the exhibition.

Ginninderry Design Library

Ginninderry is committed to building quality open spaces which enhance the public realm. To support this commitment a Design Library has been established to provide place recognition and artistic continuity across the project site.

The Design Library is intended to contribute to the development of attractive, accessible places that create a sense of place and memory, where people are drawn to meet and network. The designs have been created by three prominent regional artists, Geoff Farquhar-Still, Claire Primrose and GW Bot and are licensed to Riverview Projects for use in the public domain. These designs are available at no cost to approved architects/builders.

The designs or elements thereof may be used as part of façade designs, signage, seating, walkways and so on. In particular, where the facades and walls of private buildings frame public space, we encourage architects/builders to make use of the Design Library as feature elements.

There are currently sixty designs available for use and some examples are below.

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PLEASE NOTE: Design Library proposals need to be submitted to Ginninderry for approval and reproduction of the images in any context without formal approval is not permitted.

Design Library proposals should be forwarded to susan@ginninderry.com

Ginninderry Public Art

Public Art is any visual attraction produced by an artist, craftsperson or designer-maker and resulting from collaborative processes involving members of the local community and others. Public art is sited in a location that is freely accessible to the public. It may be new work commissioned specifically for a particular site, or an existing work sited in a public space. It may be a permanent or temporary fixture, internal or external, as part of an existing building, integrated into public infrastructure or a freestanding piece of work. All art across the Ginninderry project takes as its focus place and identity. Whatever its external presentation, relationship of art to site is essential in establishing concepts of place, and in investing traces of memory and identity into the community.

Ginninderry Public Art Reference Group (PARG)

The Public Art Reference Group was convened in 2016 to provide specialised input and advice, community feedback, advocate on behalf of the project and offer structured commentary on the creative process. The group is tasked with adjudicating EOI’s and to sign-off on concepts and designs.

Forest Dark – Jo Hollier

Forest Dark – Jo Hollier

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While metal sculpture is a long-standing tradition, the industrial age has given artists new materials and techniques to work with, at times blurring the line between art and architecture. Perforated metal is an architectural product that sits on the threshold of structural and visual art, allowing the recreation of any image using the same principle as half-tone printing, with the size of the holes determining the tone of the image.

In January 2017 a select tender was sent to five artists calling for designs which could be used in the creation of a perforated artwork for the large sliding doors at the Link. The Ginninderry Public Art Reference Group was convened to make a selection from the submissions.

An etching called Dark Forest by Jo Hollier, a Strathnairn Arts Association studio holder was selected by the group and endorsed by the curatorial adviser Peter Haynes. The image was purchased for licensed use by Riverview Projects and sent to a laser perforation company in Melbourne to make the panels.

The large sliding doors on the southside of the Link building with their Forest Dark panels are a good example of how art can be seamlessly integrated into architecture delivering a strong visual impact as one approaches the building. Inspired by the natural beauty of local Yellow Box Gum woodlands the composition depicts one of the iconic natural symbols of the Ginninderry project.

Little Eagle Glyph – G.W. Bot

Little Eagle Glyph – G.W. Bot

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In keeping with the project’s strong commitment to community inclusion, it was intended that this artwork capture the values and spirit of place which local people attach to it. To this end Riverview Projects engaged GW Bot, a Canberra-based artist who has a deep affinity for the Australian landscape and its Aboriginal history and significantly has primarily focused for the past forty years on the Murrumbidgee River system.

GW Bot is a current studio holder at Strathnairn Arts Association which is immediately adjacent to the Stage 1 development and is widely collected nationally and internationally including the National Gallery Canberra; British Museum; the Royal Academy, London; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris; the Albertina, Vienna; Museum of Modern Art, Japan and the Fogg Museum of Fine Arts, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.

The artist worked collaboratively with community and engaged with local community leaders in West Belconnen to seek their views and ideas for consideration in the design process.

The Little Eagle Glyph is a logical development in the artist’s career , an important addition to the artist’s oeuvre as well as an iconic emblem for the Ginninderry development.

On approval from the Minister for the Arts, the sculpture has been accepted as an asset of the ACT Government and is a highly significant addition to the public art collection managed by artsACT.

At the public launch of the sculpture on 18 October, 2019 Wally Bell, Traditional Custodian from the Ngunawal people delivered the following speech.

Eagle – Symbol of Spirit, Vision and Strength:

“We, the first Australians have complex layers of totems deeply embedded in our cultures. For us a totem can be a natural object, a plant or an animal that is inherited by members of a clan or family as their spiritual emblem. Our totems define peoples’ roles, responsibilities and relationships with each other and with creation.

We have a deep connection with country, its animals, plants and places. We believe that the spirits of our Dreamtime ancestors, who walked the earth in a time before time, still dwell in sacred places on country as do the spirits of the generations of people who lived before us. Our ancestral spirits can be found in ancient trees or rock formations, in significant places or can be recognised in the behaviour of native animals.

This eagle, we call mulleun, as with all eagles, symbolises spiritual protection and brings with it gifts of strength, courage, wisdom, illumination of spirit, healing, and creation. The eagle has the amazing ability to see hidden spiritual truths as it rises above the material and looks at life from a higher perspective. Eagle medicine is the power of spirit and reminds us that we also have the opportunity and the power to fly above our current challenges and struggles and those of the past. The Eagle teaches us to ‘look up’, reclaim our personal power, have patience in waiting for the appropriate moment.

If natures spirits have presented you with the eagle spirit feather, you are being asked to be courageous and stretch your limits.

The Eagle symbolises a state of being that is reached through inner work, understanding and passing the initiation tests that come from reclaiming our personal power. The Eagle gifts us clear vision with which one can truly see, to live in balance with Mother nature. The Eagle shows you how to look above so that you can touch Grandfather Sun with your heart, to love the Shadow as much as the Light.

So today, remember to live in balance with spirit and earth.”

Author: Wally Bell, Traditional Custodian from the Ngunawal People

Circle of Stones – Bronwyn Berman

Circle of Stones – Bronwyn Berman

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The Circle of Stones public artwork is a response to findings gathered from a community consultation event at the ‘Charny Carny’ community festival in March 2017. Ginninderry’s Community and Cultural Planning Manager, working with a team of year 9 and 10 students from the Kingsford Smith School conducted an activity at the carnival to explore and develop concepts for open space planning at Ginninderry.

The team used an interactive model as an aid for participants, who were invited to imagine what they would like to see included in the parklands of Ginninderry.  The many ideas put forward were distilled into a selection of ‘highly rated items’ using a survey of students from years K to 10 at the local Kingsford Smith School.

On presentation of these selected items to the design team, one concept was immediately nominated for realisation in the entry park of Neighborhood one, the initial stage of the Ginninderry development.  The nominated item was a concept put forward by an unknown participant who ignited the imagination of the survey participants and the design team by suggesting that in the new park there should be “a relaxing circle of stones”.  Ginninderra Rotary also selected the Circle of Stones project from a list of works provided to them when they expressed interest in being a major sponsor of an open space feature at Ginninderry.

A series of further meetings to develop the concept were held with students from Kingsford Smith School and artist Bronwyn Berman who is developing a case study of the Ginninderry project as part of her doctoral research into “the role of the artist in sustainable urban development”.

Stones which had been excavated from the Stage 1 development site were identified as suitable for the project.

While the Circle of Stones provides visual interest to passers-by from nearby walking paths and roadways, the space is primarily intended as a place to pause, a point of contemplation where the visitor can sit.  Nestling into the gentle north western slope towards the top of the park, the Circle of Stones is on a high point in the landscape, allowing visitors to the space to take in views through a stand of existing trees over the surrounding landscape and to the mountains. Sensitive plantings of shrubs and trees planted to the east and south east allow for privacy and a sense of discovery whilst maintaining views from the pathway.

On arrival to the space, the visitor discovers a circle of randomly placed granite boulders set within a circular platform 13m in diameter. Reminiscent of the rocky outcrops local to the area, the boulders are familiar in that their type are seen around Canberra and Yass.

Stone circles are found across most continents of the globe with the earliest dating back to more than 5000 years ago. Studying standing stones in Britain in the 1930‘s, academic Alexander Thom proposed that the neolithic communities had constructed these geometrically accurate configurations with cosmic influences in order to more accurately observe the heavens, the sun and the moon.

More recently scholars have suggested that a disconnect from nature can have a negative effect on environmentally responsible behaviour as well as many variables that support well-being including happiness. Studies show that humans have an innate emotional affiliation to other living organisms (Biophillia) and call for the design of public spaces that have a sense of place and an appreciation of nature.

These concepts and theories provide an understanding of why the “circle of stones” idea was resonant with a diverse group of people.

Artist’s Statement – “Universal, sacred and divine, the circle represents the infinite, inclusivity and wholeness.  As monuments to nature, the stones, watchers of the sky and the seasons, connect us to nature.”

Sculptural Chairs and Planter Boxes - Phil Spelman

Sculptural Chairs and Planter Boxes – Phil Spelman

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Philip Spelman graduated from the Applied Arts Department at the Queensland College of Arts and continued with further study at the School of Art, Australian National University completing a BVA in Sculpture.

As a practicing sculptor for the past 30 years, Spelman works in painted steel, and maintains a broad professional arts practice. He is activity engaged in national and international exhibitions, commissions and conference programmes as well as technical management and consultation.

His works are abstract constructions where elements balance, tumble and float creating positive and negative compositions of space, light and shade. The sculptures are memorable for their vibrant colours which give luminosity and depth, creating stunning silhouettes within their environment.

Spelman’s sculptures are held in many public, private and corporate collections, nationally and international. In 2012 he was awarded a Helen Lempriere scholarship for research and travel.

In 2013 he received the NSW government regional acquisition award, his work acquired by Bathurst Regional Gallery

His commissions include ACT cultural facilities corporation, Civil & Civic / Lend Lease ACT, South Sydney City Council, and ACT Public Arts, Arrow International, and most recently a major work for Capital estate developments

His commissions include ACT cultural facilities corporation, Civil & Civic / Lend Lease ACT, South Sydney City Council, and ACT Public Arts, Arrow International, and most recently a major work for Capital estate developments.

His work is also featured in collections such as The National Convention Centre, The Lady Ethel Nock Sculpture Collection, Canberra Museum & Art Gallery, Gomboc Sculpture Gallery Price Waterhouse, University of Canberra and the Bathurst Regional Gallery

Three of Phil Spelman’s sculptural chairs (located on the banks of the Link pond) and two of his planter boxes (located in the Link Play Space) have been gifted to Ginninderry by artsACT.

Dandelions – Al Phemister

Dandelions – Al Phemister

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This series tells a story that we all relate to. Picking and blowing dandelions (‘Wishes’), is something that we all have done, and continue to see children do today.

Standing more than 2 metres tall in the landscape and they seem to float and gently move in the breeze as they are scattered by the wind.

Community Arts Projects

Who Am I and Who Is My Mob

Who Am I and Who Is My Mob

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A collaborative arts project aimed at bringing communities together, “Who am I and who is my mob?” was the question asked by 12 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) students from Kingsford Smith School in Holt, who participated in the aptly named joint Ginninderry and Rotary sponsored project. An initiative of Ginninderry’s CREATE Program, ‘Who am I and Who is my Mob?’ was designed to give local ATSI students the opportunity to collaborate with artists Peter Finnegan, James Smalls, Brett Carpenter and facilitators from the Messenger Program at Tuggeranong Arts Centre, to investigate and understand their cultural backgrounds.

The purpose of the project was to mentor students through a journey of cultural self-discovery. Following the research period the students were assisted by the artists to paint the symbols specific to their heritage onto the standing poles situated in the central courtyard of Ginninderry’s multipurpose community centre, The Link. Here the poles and their culturally significant markings will not only serve as a physical reminder of the students’ heritage, but also of the region’s diverse cultural history.

Further inspiration for the project came from Ngunawal Elder Wally Bell, who pointed out that while the Ngunawal people are the custodians of the ACT region, it is important for the Ginninderry project to pay homage to the many other tribal groups now living in the ACT region.

The poles were officially unveiled by Minister Berry at the Ginninderry SpringFest community celebration in October 2017.

History Mosaics

History Mosaics

Ginninderra Creek Mosaic 2017

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What do you get when you put an artist, a historian, an Aboriginal Elder and some high school students together?

You get a beautiful mosaic which tells the story of Ginninderra Creek, a natural waterway on the boundary of the Ginninderry project which holds important memories for the local people, the rural families who farmed both sides of the creek and the Ngunawal people.

Combining the skills of Belconnen Community Services Bungee Youth Resilience Program, Belconnen High School, Ngunawal Elder Wally Bell and the Ginninderry Local History Study, the Ginninderra Creek Mosaic project is an initiative of CREATE, the Arts and Culture Program of Ginninderry.

Bungee is an inclusive resilience building program that promotes emotional wellbeing through the arts. The program supports young people (aged 5-18) to participate in activities designed to build resilience, enhance well-being and social and emotional health.

Offering a suite of arts-based programs in schools and community settings the program employs professional artists and support workers who develop a series of workshops that are tailored to the individual skill level, need and interest of the participants.

Ginninderry approached the Bungee team about creating an artwork from one of the horizontal concrete plinths at the Link building. The Ginninderry Local History Study team provided input to the project by detailing the many stories of Ginninderra Creek that they were unearthing during the history study.

Ngunawal Elder Wally Bell was then engaged to take both groups and the students for a walk along Ginninderry Creek to tell the stories about the Ngunawal people’s experiences of the creek.

The result is a beautiful mosaic in the grounds of the Link Community Facility at Strathnairn that will tell the Ginninderra Creek story for many years to come.

 

Agricultural History Mosaic 2018

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On 13 February 2018, eight children in grades five and six from St. Thomas Aquinas School in Charnwood came to The Link to participate in our next mosaic project  – an initiative of the Ginninderry CREATE program and the Belconnen Community Services Bungee Program: The Bungee Program is an inclusive resilience building initiative that promotes emotional wellbeing through the arts. The program supports young people (aged 5-18) to participate in activities designed to build resilience, enhance wellbeing and social and emotional health.

The day began for the children at 9:30am with a visit to the Hall Museum who have collaborated with Ginninderry in research for the Ginninderry Local History Study. The Museum Curator, Mardie Troth was on hand to show the students some fascinating photographs and artefects which would have been used by farmers in days gone by.  After an hour touring the museum and learning about Ginninderry’s rich agricultural history, the students made sketches of the artefacts which would help them with illustrations for the mosaic.

Over the course of the next two months the students worked weekly with artist Tony Steele to design and make their mosaic tiles, drawing inspiration from the many stories, photographs and artefacts of Ginninderry’s farming heritage.

Both the mosaics are providing valuable educational opportunities for local school students, learning about the history of the Ginninderry site and the wider region and also getting the chance to creatively express themselves through the development and skills of mosaic artwork.

 

 

 

Belconnen Arts Centre Community Mural

Belconnen Arts Centre Community Mural

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In 2018, jointly funded by Belconnen Arts Centre (BAC) and Riverview Projects, the Community Mural Project created a permanent framework installation for the display of mural artworks created in and by community. The installation currently displays a mural created by people with disabilities during BAC’s IGNITE: Makers program 2018 and is located overlooking the dam in the garden near the Link, Ginninderry. IGNITE artists worked with local artist, Tess Horwitz in the design and fabrication of the inaugural mural.

We envisage this program to act as a vehicle to engage community groups, schools, creative collectives and organisations. We aim to connect the community to the region’s artists, The Link Ginninderry and the arts centre.The location has been carefully considered along a pathway to connect The Link and Strathnairn Arts Centre.

Under the partnership arrangement, the artwork is intended to change annually to provide opportunities, over many years, for a variety of community groups to design, paint, show and celebrate murals they have created. This will ensure the work is refreshed to engage and activate the pathway.

Appropriate artists will be identified, engaged and the program will be facilitated and managed annually at and by Belconnen Arts Centre.  It will be important for a range of region’s artists to be given the opportunity to work in this collaboration.  This will also ensure that the resulting murals are explicitly distinctive to themselves and people involved.

Target groups will be discussed and negotiated with Ginninderry to ensure the program is purposeful and relevant to the surrounding community.  Through the Community/Cultural planning process, it is envisaged that community clusters will have been identified to target for a meaningful and purposeful engagement.

In 2021, the partners wish to commission a mural which acknowledges and celebrates Aboriginal culture. It is envisaged, that a facilitating Aboriginal artist will work with Aboriginal community members including Ginninderry’s Aboriginal Advisory Group to complete a new artwork for the site.

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