The Sydney Metro Gadigal Recognition Public Art Opportunity

Key information

Status: Closed

Applications open: Monday, 23 October 2023 

Applications close: Friday, 17 November, 2023, 12pm AEDT

Program Overview 

About the EOI

Create NSW and Sydney Metro are calling for Gadigal artists and creative designers to register their interest to lead a creative team to develop a public art/creative installation for the recently named Gadigal Station, in Sydney's CBD. This is a significant opportunity to contribute to Sydney’s new metro railway by engaging and inspiring locals and visitors. The public art/creative installation will recognise the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which Gadigal Station is sited. 

Public art in stations is a highly specialised field which requires a unique skill set. Create NSW and Sydney Metro welcome applications from Gadigal led creative teams to realise an impactful, permanent public artwork/creative installation that connects to place and culture and aligns with requirements for large scale public infrastructure projects.

Sydney Metro Art uses a two stage Commissioning Process.

Stage 1 - Gadigal led creative teams will submit Expressions of Interest (EOI) to be involved.

Stage 2 - Shortlisted Gadigal led creative teams are paid to develop concepts and to participate in an art competition, from which the preferred concept will be selected. The creative team will be contracted to Sydney Metro to develop and realise the work.

Location

A series of potential locations in the station have been identified for the new artistic cultural expression, which would suit a variety of art mediums including floor and wall mounted, suspended and digital artworks. Gadigal Station, formerly known as Pitt Street Station, is nearing completion. Proposals will need to be realised separately, and then fixed to existing clad walls, ceilings, columns or pavement.

Themes

This is a major opportunity to share Gadigal stories, language and culture which will have a very broad audience. The new artwork and cultural expression will join a series of over 20 new public artworks by Australian artists that have been specifically commissioned for station environments for this major new Sydney Metro project.

Budget

An all-inclusive art budget is allocated for the project. This budget will be inclusive of artist fees, cultural consultation, artwork development, design integration, and all fabrication, construction, installation and approval requirements.

Key Dates

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for this EOI, the creative team must be Gadigal led, and the team’s Gadigal lead must be a resident of NSW and an Australian citizen or permanent resident. Gadigal team members must be recognised as being so by the local community.

Members with technical expertise in realising large-scale public art or design projects must be included in the team, either as a team member or a nominated consultancy with whom the team will work.

There must be at least one team member with senior experience in public art.

Indigenous Cultural Protocols and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP)

Protocols are ethical principles which guide behaviour. They encourage ethical conduct and promote interaction based on good faith and mutual respect. 

Protocols define appropriate ways of using indigenous cultural material and interacting with indigenous people and their communities, beginning with Aboriginal-and Torres-Strait Islander peoples.  

Cultural Protocols and ICIP (Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property) refer to the use of culturally sensitive information, stories, and motifs. Please see background from Creative Australia ICIP; Create NSW Aboriginal Arts and Cultural Protocols; Arts Law ICIP Information.

Selection Process and Criteria

Selection Process

Step One -Calling for Gadigal led creative teams to submit through a public EOI to be eligible on the long-list of Sydney Metro artists for this new creative expression. The EOI is open for 4 weeks and closes at 12pm on Friday 17 November 2023. Following, the selection panel will nominate successful creative team(s) to be shortlisted for the Competition.

Step Two -Shortlisted creative team(s) will be provided with a detailed brief and be paid to prepare concepts for the Gadigal Recognition Artwork. On competition day, the panel will select the preferred concept. The successful creative team will then be contracted to Sydney Metro to develop, fabricate, and realise the design.

EOI Selection Panel

A panel of experts will assess both Stage 1 – Artist Long List and Stage 2 - Competition stages.

Panel membership comprises expert art, design and technical representatives who have been involved with previous Sydney Metro Art Panels and includes Aboriginal representatives.

About the Creative Team and Project

The Gadigal led creative team may include public artists, designers, technicians, curators, and Elders. Teams with a majority of Aboriginal members are strongly encouraged to apply. The project will require engagement with relevant stakeholders including the Metropolitan Land Council, and the City of Sydney. Engagement with community is encouraged during competition phase and will be required during artwork development phases. Successful teams will need to follow the Create NSW Aboriginal Arts and Cultural Protocols, Sydney Metro Public Art Process and the TfNSW Aboriginal Art Strategy.

EOI Selection Criteria

At this EOI stage, artists are not required to submit a proposal or concept.

Applications will be assessed against the assessment criteria outlined below. Each application is assessed as a whole and rated against the criteria. The criteria are given equal weighting. The criteria are:

• Ability to deliver an authentic and compelling expression of Gadigal culture.
• Artistic merit as evidenced in the material provided.
• Ability to develop permanent, durable, and robust artworks.
• Relevance to Sydney Metro’s customers, stations, and precincts
• Ability and willingness to develop artwork as part of large multidisciplinary teams and within tight schedules and to budget.
• Experience of the scale suitable for a large infrastructure project or art installation including public art experience in; the public realm, major developments and/or major art exhibitions.

EOI Application Guidelines:

File

Contact and Support:

For queries or more information, please email metro.art@transport.nsw.gov.au.

Start your Expression of Interest application

Artists/teams must submit via WeTransfer to metro.art@transport.nsw.gov.au.

All applicants are required to provide the following:

1. Name of Gadigal lead, a maximum 2-page CV with a description of relevant experience.
2. Names of all creative team members, their role, a maximum 2-page CV for each, and a description of relevant experience in similar projects.
3. Name of nominated technical team and/or team member, a maximum 2-page CV for each, and a description of relevant experience in similar scaled public artworks.
4. Response to the selection criteria, including detailing your interest in this project (maximum 500 words).
5. Six examples of relevant creative projects undertaken by team members in a single PDF.
6. Statement of capacity to commence working on competition on Thursday 30 November 2023, and should the team be successful, deliver to the required deadline.

For queries or more information, please email metro.art@transport.nsw.gov.au.

PLEASE NOTE:

Create NSW and Sydney Metro reserve the right to adjust the selection process due to unforeseen circumstances and/or changing program requirements.

Additional information

Artists and the Station: Place and Function

Sydney Metro artworks must complement the station architecture and be suitably scaled to be experienced in the large, busy space where people are focussed on moving through to their destination.

Stations are visually busy environments where the architecture, materials, finishes, advertising, and signage work together to support intuitive wayfinding. Artworks should not impede customer flow, access, safety, or wayfinding including maintaining sightlines to destinations, facilities, and signs.

• Timber
• Concrete
• Glass-reinforced concrete (GRC)
• Stone
• Glass
• Glazed terracotta
• Vitreous enamel
• Metal
• Paint; and
• Digital screen

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that this publication is free from error and/or omission at the date of publication. The authors, publisher and any person involved in the preparation of this publication take no responsibility for loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action because of information contained herein.