Heide Museum of Modern Art
An overcast Friday in Melbourne and a good time to visit Heide Museum of Modern Art.
Category Archives: art outside
MAph Built Photography
Museum of Australian Photography exhibition
An opinion piece about exhibitions, the visual arts, and things.
Always up for a drive out to the Museum of Australian Photography at Wheelers Hill – in Melbourne, we drove out through the suburban streets (rather than the freeways) for the pleasure of taking in a range of suburbs on the way. The changes of architecture and the various old and new build environments make the journey worth-while.
A wonderful art gallery with a not so great café
This piece was originally uploaded in June 2023.
Before you wonder what the image above is about – it is a digitally altered photograph of the National Gallery of Australia here in Canberra. I’ll explain later in this piece.
Continue reading A wonderful art gallery with a not so great café
Does Clive Hamilton value his own backyard?
This piece as originally published in 2022
Looking at the creative political sign in front of the Kingston Glass Workshop in October (now removed), the message was clear.
Continue reading Does Clive Hamilton value his own backyard?
Gardening and farming at the National Museum
This piece was originally published in September 2022
A visit to an exhibition at the National Museum of Australia provided the extra opportunity to have a look at the new garden at the entrance and to check out again the Garden of Australian Dreams.
Continue reading Gardening and farming at the National Museum
Yet again we ponder a new future for Civic
City Renewal Authority bereft of ideas
Someone in the ACT planning Directorate thought it was a great idea to get their planning minister to launch yet another round of consultations on the future of Civic and the surrounding areas – on the 4th December last year.
The wonders of signs
is this what we signed up for?
Developers love putting up their signs of things to come that will make life better for future residents.
The National Library trees and sculpture festival
How the NCA keeps getting it wrong!
The National Library of Australia forecourt should be a well-designed open space welcoming people to a key national institution. It is, sort of – but not quite!
Continue reading The National Library trees and sculpture festival
Belconnen arts and architecture
Saturday 30 July was a sunny day that encouraged a walk somewhere else in the city, besides the usual meander through the local streets.
Civic still a bit of a mess
Public art — Civic in Canberra
A media notice from the City Renewal Authority about a new artwork in Civic caught my attention. Continue reading Civic still a bit of a mess
NGA Canberra Sculpture Garden
A place to visit often
There were few people visiting the NGA’s Sculpture Garden when I visited to enjoy the garden’s well-designed spaces and to check out the artworks.
ACT Government fails on landscape design
Design leadership missing in action
The south side of Franklin Street, Manuka, was shut off during November for several clusters of seats and tables on fake grass. It was apparently another of this government’s pop-up experiments.
Christmas, trees and biodiversity
ACT Government does not get biodiversity
Wandering through Civic, there loomed ahead a shape.
ACT Public Art and inequality
It was stunning to see the images of Premier Dominic Perrottet after NSW opened up on October 11; he welcomed people back to his version of normal – that of blokes, pubs, beers and more blokes. Women were absent.
Public Art in Canberra
When “Seven Days” columnist Ian Meikle remarked in “CityNews” on July 19 that the ACT Legislative Assembly’s Standing Committee on Economy and Gender and Economic Equality is seeking submissions to its inquiry into memorialisation through public commemoration, it did raise an issue or two.
ACT Government ignores Commonwealth Park
Commonwealth Park neglected by government
Attention to a significant piece of national land is being overlooked among the misinformation used to justify the demolition of West Basin.
ACT Government and public sculpture
Need for a new public art policy
Sometime during the last election, a candidate said something about revising the public sculpture program initiated by Jon Stanhope when he was chief minister.
Floriade Canberra 2020
Flowers in the suburbs
It is all happening again in Kingston and, as with other locations throughout Canberra, Floriade Reimagined saw locals planting more than 8000 bulbs and annuals in May.
Cultural Landscape
The Cultural Landscape Foundation wants to connect people to the places of culture around them. click here
Urban Bites
GANG GANG arrives in Downer
Always good to celebrate when a suburban centre rises again.
Anzac Parade – public art doing service
There is no doubt that Anzac Parade is very special.
Ballarat
A place where good things happen
click on the image
climarte
Acland Street Public Art Commission
Expressions of Interest are due by 5pm on 3 February 2017
Contour 556
click on image for more on this public art festival
contour 556
More news about Canberra’s new public art festival – to run Friday 21st October to Sunday 13th November 2016. Continue reading contour 556
great women on Britain’s streets
Click on image for the story of the lack of public statues depicting women in the UK.
Trump Baby
Another sign of wonder. This one we came upon while walking down a street in Auckland. That hair should be a registered trademark.
contour 556 – Canberra’s new public art festival
contour 556 is Canberra’s new public art festival to be staged from Friday 21st October to Sunday 13th November, 2016
Continue reading contour 556 – Canberra’s new public art festival
Public Art Festival – Contour 556
Advance notice for a Canberra Public Art Festival for later in 2016.
Contour 556 is to be a three-week public art festival in Canberra 21 October – 13 November 2016 on the foreshores of Lake Burley Griffin (and other locations). Continue reading Public Art Festival – Contour 556
Sculpture walk through Civic
When reading the latest thought bubbles from the property lobby, it was difficult to avoid laughing out loud.
Canberra Sculpture Walk proposal
When reading the latest thought bubbles from the property lobby, it was difficult to avoid laughing out loud. In their quest to improve Civic business activity, the Civic property lobby has recommended that the ACT Government should hand over money to assist in the refurbishment of the Melbourne and Sydney buildings.
Blue Poles at the museum
There is talk in the art world about the National Gallery of Australia’s (NGA) changes to their permanent collection galleries and how this has included the movement of the famous Jackson Pollock painting, Blue Poles, from its long historic position downstairs to the upstairs galleries.
Spray For Paris
Click on image for the story in The Guardian
When Soak Becomes Spill
click on image for the story of the work by Subodh Gupta
Poor Man’s Kapoor
click on the image for the story
Dismaland
There’s been quiet a bit of writing online about Bansky’s latest project – Dismaland.
I am not sure what to make of it as theme parks would be something I would not even contemplate visiting. But yet, when irony is the theme, would I go. Still not sure. Meanwhile here’s a bunch of reviews and comments:
First the Guardian has a couple – one here and then another here.
The New Yorker writer writes from her own experiences of her holidays on the coast. click here.
The UK Telegraph liked it – click here.
and after reading all this – and looking at the videos and pictures – I am still not convinced.
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Paul Costigan
Mind The Art
Mind the art: Transport for London unveils new commissions for the tube (click on image)
Gateways into Canberra
I enjoy the drive between Sydney from Canberra. I do it reasonably often. The mood of the country changes according to the weather, the drought, the latest rains and the time of the day.
Celebrating Landscape Architects
Good to see the work by locals, Harris Hobbs Landscapes, being recognised.
click on the image.
Mysterious placement of public art and memorials
Over the years I have wondered about the placement of public art and memorials in and around the parliamentary zone. Here are three stories.
Continue reading Mysterious placement of public art and memorials
Public Art
for a bit of fun – click on the image
Public Art in Canberra
Public sculpture commissioned in the memory of our dignitaries has been known to cause a stir amongst art lovers as well as those who take a position on public art.
Magna Carta Place Canberra
Review: Public Art/ Monument
A review of Canberra’s Magna Carta Place public art
This is a re-posting of a review I posted to RiotACT last week.
Public Art
Canberra political public art
Canberra has a very mixed record when it comes to graffiti art in public places.
Public Art
Comment on public art problems
Visiting London, we came across this piece of public art at The Angel, a centre located on the outskirts of central London, to the north-east.
Canberra Sculpture
Review: Visual Arts
Sculpture Festival
at Canberra Grammar School Oct 2014
There’s been a couple of short-run sculpture festivals in recent years in Canberra. It is a great thing to see these events as they provide opportunities for our sculptors who otherwise have trouble getting into the usual exhibition venues.
Arts Vandals
Comment on the stupidity of art vandals
Canberra used to have a wonderful public art program. It was pressure from the local paper and the local bands of idiots that drove the local government to shut down the program.
Art in Landscape
Notice: A project about Art and Landscape
As I have said before, I wonder why a country such as Australia with its amazing landscapes does not have a much stronger arts in the landscape profile, let alone many more robust public art programs.
Natural Architecture
Comment: Landscape Art
One of my many puzzles has been why within Australia, with all the diversity of natural landscapes, do we not see much landscape art.
What I mean by that are artworks that actually are designed in the landscape or at least using natural materials to be in the landscape. There’s an article online about an architect who works with nature. click here.
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for more on architecture – click here
Paul Costigan, 20 August 2014
Public Art North Korean Style
Comment: Public Art
There’s not much to add to this story online. Click on the image.
Visual Artist: Banksy
Brisbane Laneway Art
Review: Visual Arts in Brisbane Laneways, July 2014
The centre of Melbourne has a tremendous network of laneways. Many are well established as alternate routes to the main streets. Many of the laneways have cafes, and in more recent years, many have become havens for all manner of street art.
Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin
Comment: A memorial for Walter and Marion
Several months back there was an article by Christopher Vernon, of the University of Western Australia, putting forward the background and argument for a permanent memorial in Canberra for Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin. Click here for that article.
There are various things scattered around Canberra that tell their story.
Continue reading Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin
New Acton Precinct, Canberra
Review: Urbanity
New Acton Precinct, Canberra
There was much ado about this whole precinct development when it was being built and this continues through to today. Having visited the site a few times now, to meander, to eat, to meet for coffee and the occasional business, I have to say that it is a very mixed result. It is worth a visit on a busy day to see for yourself. But it does not match some of the rhetoric that has been put about – click here for an example of some project-porn spin*.
North Canberra Greenway
A brief concept proposal:
The North Canberra Greenway and Artwalk.
This is a proposal to enhance some present green infrastructure within inner north Canberra.
The North Canberra Greenway could be formed by linking and then enhancing the present green infrastructure elements throughout inner north Canberra.
neglected trees
Opinion: Trees
and yes, we should be looking after them.
During times of heat, drought, and extreme temperatures, it really demonstrates how the planning of Canberra, ‘the garden city’, was based on serious misunderstandings.
click on any photograph to enlarge it
Cotter Dam
Review: The Cotter Dam Site
Late in 2013, there was much ado in Canberra about the completion of the new Cotter Dam. The new wall is a replacement and enlargement of the previous dam on the Cotter River. It was built as a result of the ten-year drought and the need for water security for Canberra.
The surrounding recreational areas had been devastated in the 2003 bush fires and the whole area has been rejuvenated to once again be a reaction area for locals and visitors on the outskirts of the capital.
Angel of the North
Review: Visual Art
Angel of the North at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
It was just this week that I managed to get myself down the wonderful National Gallery of Australia’s sculpture garden to have a look at the Angel of the North. The piece has been on location for several years. This was the fist time I have seen this piece. Of course, this is the life-size marquette of the original Angel of the North, being about one tenth the size of the original.
Art outside
Public Art by Dan Stewart-Moore
Recently announced installation of art. Always good to celebrate an artist who has chosen the difficult path of sculpture and public art. Click on the image above for the Canberra Times article.
Dan has other pieces….
Art in the Street
Review: Art in the front yard
Canberra 16-17 November 2013
Take a quiet little street in Downer. Local artist Stephen Harrison is a resident. Stephen asks the neighbours if he can take over the street and their front yards for the weekend. They say yes. Stephen then brings in the work of about three dozen artists. And so a fun weekend arrived……
Art in the Streets
Street Art – A collection of images – in progress
Much of the current crop of graffiti and street art consists of the signatures and/or some brightly coloured clichéd scrawls. There’s also the more subtle and creative.
The latter is so much more fun. And things that bring a smile when everyone wants to be ever so serious about anything and everything, must be a good thing. Bring it on.