PARK YOUR ART

The Brisbane Showground’s King Street parking facility is a five-storey-high canvas the award-winning public art installation from Tom Emmett, a local QUT design student.

The pixel-like artwork was inspired by the “continual flow of people, ideas, producers, livestock and culture through the Brisbane Showgrounds over 100 years.” The design used 57,500 10cm white diamond-shaped pixels placed at junctions on the mesh façade to create the scene. The installation was completed over five days and required the help of over 100 volunteers.

Emmett’s work was chosen from a competition where he won out over four shortlisted entries after an initial judging round. Brisbane Showgrounds Project Director Andrew Hay said he was extremely proud of the collaborative venture between The Buchan Group, RNA, QUT and Griffith University.

“Public art is about community and this project gives those involved a chance to leave a legacy for both Brisbane and the Showgrounds community,” he said.

Paul Watson, Senior Associate from The Buchan Group added, “The King Street façade started with the idea of a stylised and rustic metal screen that replicates the agricultural language of a farm gate and then using the mesh as ‘canvass’ for some form of art… This simple idea gained traction to create a system in the form of the pixel that could be readily used as the medium for the artwork competition.”

“Many dedicated hours of development followed by volunteer installation has resulted in a significant Brisbane urban artwork that The Buchan Group is proud to be associated with,” he said.