Art Pharmacy was engaged by the City of Newcastle to procure two public artworks as part of the redevelopment taking place at the south end of Newcastle Beach.
After an in-depth analysis of the thriving arts and cultural scene of Newcastle, Art Pharmacy proposed an art strategy inspired by the statistic that Newcastle has the highest number of artists per capita out of any city in Australia. This strategy led to the selection of two local artists, Ellie Hannon and Brontë Naylor, to commission two artworks for these locations.
The first location, situated at the base of the site adjoining the lower promenade which connects the lower skatepark to the downstairs amenities, was suggested to be treated with a sandblasted artwork design due to the Council’s concerns that the beach-facing nature of the location might subject a painted treatment to environmental damage. In response to this location, the selected design by Ellie Hannon recorded the different local native bushland species of trees and grasses often found in the Glenrock Nature Reserve and the Awabakal Nature Reserve.
The artist engaged in observation and discussion with local Elders and National Parks Officer Gary Luke, to capture the forms, marks, and interplays in nature. She notes that ‘These trees all gather and support each other, holding each other up to the light’ – a metaphor for the strong creative community that exists within Newcastle itself.
The second location sits in adjacency to the new skate bowl, and was suggested by the Council to be a subtle artistic memorial piece with reference to Jack Murphy, a popular Newcastle scooter rider, and former Alderman at the City of Newcastle, Margaret Goumas. Brontë Naylor used imagery from skating and cinematic culture as a point of departure. For Naylor, the act of skating is strongly influenced by the relationship of the body to space. The final mural artwork, ‘Sky & Ocean’ consists of a hyper-realistic rendition of a young boy skating, with a backdrop featuring motifs from Margaret Goumas’ favourite art house films. The artist has used her signature collage technique to show a dialogue between intergenerational cultures existing within the same space, and invites viewers to contemplate the interconnectedness of movement, space, and individual experiences within the vibrant tapestry of our surroundings.
Highly unique and deeply artistic, and yet embodying the essence of the Newcastle creative community, these two outdoor public artworks will inspire onlookers and revitalise the southern end of Newcastle Beach.