Vicinity Centres: Integrated Urban Artwork, Car Park Facades, Chadstone

As Vicinity’s nationally appointed art advisor, Catherine Asquith was instrumental in the commissioning process for an integrated artwork for the carpark facades at Chadstone Shopping Centre, a limited invitation urban artwork commission valued at AU$6m. Melbourne-based artist Matthew Johnson was appointed in February 2020, after a highly competitive commission process.  This past July, the $6m project was successfully brought to completion.

As part of its ongoing commitment to Australian Art and the continued development of the Chadstone Art Collection, Vicinity provided an extraordinary opportunity to an Australian artist for the design of an integrated artwork to be installed across several carpark facades.  After a vigorous commission process, Melbourne-based artist Matthew Johnson was appointed as the commissioned artist. 

Matthew’s design concept proposal in essence, was that the integrated artwork would act as a continuous ‘ribbon’ that envelopes around the entirety of the exposed car park facades; the carpark entry points become articulated points of interest to an unfurling story that engages the public from visitation to departure, and a connective visual cohesion to the interior language of the site.

Matthew’s art practice includes a strong understanding of the importance of place and identity, key attributes of any public or urban artwork, and this same principle was evident in his proposal for the integrated artwork.  Coupled with his visual language, one which relies on a mastery of colour theory and balance of compositional structure, with the latter drawn from nature, Matthew’s “Interface” is consolidated via thematic parameters for each of the car parks, i.e. Car Park A, “Billow” (formerly, “Shimmer”), Car Park B, “Arboretum” and Car Park C. “Stream”, all of which helps to articulate the connection of the built forms to the immediate natural environment.

 At its heart, the integrated artwork in its entirety, is viewed by Matthew as one which interfaces with the natural, built and human environment and acts as “an opus, a musical score…that connects …”

You can read more about this impressive commission here.

Vicinity Centres: Northland Artwork Commission

Karen Lee Mungarrja, “SHARE WITH US” / “BUNDYI “, (WIRADJURI) 2023, Gouache on Belgian Linen, 100 x 190cm

Northland Art Collection

Catherine Asquith Art Advisory was engaged by Vicinity Centres to facilitate and manage the commissioning of artwork(s), specifically, work which would be upscaled and fabricated to selected areas (bulkheads) located throughout the Northland Shopping Centre in Preston.

The project required an innovative yet authentic interpretation of the brief and was open to Indigenous Australian artists.

In July last year, Vicinity Centres extended a limited invitation to selected and recommended artists to respond to the project by way of a suite of integrated artworks for allocated spaces situated within the Northland Shopping Centre. 

Considering the rich profile of the community, its defining attributes, and the overall vision for the Centre, the artwork would need to incorporate and celebrate the community that is Northland.

As well as highlighting the site’s cultural significance, history and stories, the commission was also to encompass the stories of future generations and the continued developing nature of this diverse region, and the community’s values.

After a comprehensive and vigorous selection process, and consultation with Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung reference group, Karen Lee Mungarrja was the artist appointed for the commission.

Karen’s proposal response was to employ an integrated approach to the brief, and endeavour to “create visual stories that not only celebrate the attributes of the people that use the space, but represent the ideas in relation to the social and environmental consciousness of the community and the importance of respecting each other and sharing Aboriginal culture.”

Elder knowledge and contribution specific to this project was essential. The Wurrundjeri Woi Wurrung cultural reference group were brought into the process from the outset and have been an integral part of the process. This inclusion and consultation have been a key component in this project, and has allowed for a culturally enriched project, a nuanced understanding its cultural importance, as well as providing a platform of knowledge-sharing and engagement with the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung.

All 5 of the artworks, now upscaled and fabricated to selected bulkheads throughout the Centre, are from the one series and titled “All Are One”.  The series illustrates a multi-layered story referencing the Wurundjeri peoples, Aboriginal culture and the unique diversity of the Darebin community, a community that has programmes and events which celebrate, nurture and provide unique opportunities for all people to have a voice and be heard.

Underlying themes to each artwork in the series is the importance of acceptance, social and environmental consciousness and the development of the community for future generations – all of which can only be a good thing.

See more artworks here