Frasers Property Australia and Winten Property Group have partnered to develop the $750 million urban hub at the new Macquarie Park metro station, 12 kilometres northwest of Sydney.
More than 7,000 workers are set to call Macquarie Exchange home, with the 15,620sqm site transforming into more than 80,000sqm of gross lettable area across four buildings, including integrated laneways and collaboration spaces that will be activated seven days a week.
Plugging the project as a “community business district”, the precinct will be activated by delivering an urban plaza and pocket park across 2,200sqm of green space.
Placemaking is emphasised in the Bates Smart-designed masterplan via “activated” retail precincts and an urban experience centric civic plaza.
The Macquarie Exchange brand communicates energy and power through a vivid, gradient colour palette. The perception of constant momentum is created through the combination of imagery and line patterns.
We embraced the opportunity to embody the dynamic brand vision as Sydney’s Silicon Valley and megacentre for creativity and innovation. The public art is an opportunity to reinforce the site’s identity. Key inspiration theme included: Innovation, technology, movement, energy.
Stuart Green has taken this creative brief responding by providing a dynamic piece of sculpture that is colourful, energetic and flowing. This will provide a key destination and meeting point, connecting the various buildings within the precinct.
The Concept
Energy tracked as lines in space are the starting point of thinking about this continuously looping work.
The eyes follow the line of form scything through space, taking us on a journey that our bodies would thrill at undertaking. This spatial work is a combination of both graceful sweeping lines, and more industrial or geometric and calculated turns.
The combination of both characters of flow suggest a form at the edge of recognition – like a half remembered object on the tip of our tongue to describe but elusive.
The artwork straddles the path giving strong sight and desire lines within the park layout, and adding a drama and scale in its juxtaposition to the moving viewer as they walk past and through the artwork
High key colour and colour breakup enliven the sur- face with parallel bands of colour emphasising the swoop and turns of the form.