Art Pharmacy is thrilled to announce two site-specific installation artworks for Australia’s leading independent data centre operator, NEXTDC.
ASX 100-listed technology company NEXTDC engaged Art Pharmacy in the commissioning of two site-specific artworks by Kungarakan (NT) artist and designer Yukupin (Toby Bishop). Yukupin designed five functional concrete seating artworks for NEXTDC’s garden plaza and a wall-mounted resin and shale work for their Front of House lobby. We are proud to announce that with support from Greenbox Architecture and Urbis Landscaping, this marks the first installation of artwork into a NEXTDC Data centre Australia-wide.
Inspired by the Cammeraygal history of Artarmon and the countless archaeological sites uncovered throughout the North Sydney region, Yukupin proposed two works focused on representing the site’s First Nations history through the motif of the stone artefact. For the outdoor plaza space, Yukupin designed a series of five concrete seats, shaped through moulds into the shape of a traditional Cammeraygal spear tip. “Upon approaching the seat, I hope the viewer will be intrigued by the unique shape and etched design, and allow for a moment of wonder and discovery,” the artist notes.
“Artefacts tell the story of our Country, demonstrating the extensive knowledge that the Cammeraygal people and Indigenous Australians developed, through thousands of years worth of in-depth connections to the land.”
– Yukupin (Toby Bishop)
Yukupin designed Written in Stone for the Front of House lobby which consists of several shards of shale found in the redevelopment of the site. These shale shards were embedded in red resin in collaboration with resin artist Tamara Mendels. For Yukupin, the red resin not only reflects NEXTDC’s iconic brand colour, but is also an ode to the red resin found in grass trees in the area that helped the Cammeraygal people construct stone tools. The found shale shards have been cleaned, polished and sculpted, reminiscent of spear heads and cutting tools, reimagined on a larger scale. The use of archeological shale shards in the work convey a deep connection to the rich history of the site.
For the artist, stone artefacts represent time, technology and the omnipresence of ancient knowledge systems – “they flow through generations; it is knowledge that will always remain within these stones,” tells Yukupin. Art Pharmacy hopes that this collaboration will evoke fascination and wonder within NEXTDC’s new data centre, and strengthen viewers’ connection to Country through this two-part art commission.
Yukupin (Toby Bishop) (b. 1996) is a Kungarakan (NT) artist and designer who grew up on the South Coast of New South Wales, where he now resides.
Drawing influence from both his Indigenous culture and modern design, Yukupin finds inspiration from his wetji (nana) and her lifetime work of restoring the Kungarakan language. The artist seeks to continue exploring his culture through art and design. His work speaks of the importance of sustainable cultural practice, language and story that have been informed by in-depth connections to Country, visually referencing the textural and detailed patterns of the bush to inform his graphic aesthetic.