Signs of life under the freeway

A bold new public art project intended to fill the dark space beneath the Western Distributor at Ultimo has this week been approved by the City of Sydney Council.
Several ‘glowing golden trees’ will be installed on the site bound between Fig Street, Harris Street and Bulwarra Road, as well as extensive landscaping, to turn the ‘unattractive area below the freeway into an eye-catching outdoor gallery,’ according the Councillor Marcelle Hoff, Deputy Chair of the Cultural and Community Services Committee.
The bright design, titled ‘Aspire’, is the work of artist Warren Langley, who beat five other finalists tendering for the Life Under the Freeway project. The six short-listed designs were on a three-month public exhibition that ended late last month.
The public art project began in 2000 with several community workshops.
Since then, local residents have helped develop the project brief and selection of artists, following a shortlist of prominent public artists preparing concepts and tendering for the project.
Mr Langley designed the work to match the scale of the site and be visible by both pedestrians and traffic. Economic and ecological sustainability were considered in the selection of materials and light sources.
The installation phase will begin in July this year and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.