''Cloud Arch'' is a proposed

public artwork Public art is art in any media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and physically acces ...

by Junya Ishigami for George Street, Sydney. The sculpture is proposed to be a ribbon of twisted, white stainless steel, representing the shape of a cloud, originally designed to be and with a span of 53 metres (174 ft). It is intended to "frame" the

Sydney Town Hall The Sydney Town Hall is a late 19th-century heritage-listed town hall building in the city of Sydney, the capital city of New South Wales, Australia, housing the chambers of the Lord Mayor of Sydney, council offices, and venues for meetings an ...

, and be visible from all approach directions as part of the pedestrianisation of the street. The arch would span the tram tracks of the light rail line running up George Street. The feet of ''Cloud Arch'' will be placed on diagonally opposite corners of one of Sydney's busiest intersections, George and Park Street; the sculpture will stand among the Town Hall, the

Queen Victoria Building The Queen Victoria Building (abbreviated as the QVB) is a heritage-listed late-nineteenth-century building designed by the architect George McRae located at 429–481 George Street in the Sydney central business district, in the Australian st ...

, and The Galeries Victoria. Originally it was to be installed in 2019 but due to the increased costs ($22m, over the initial estimate of $9m) and disputes about site access during the construction of the light rail, planning for the project was postponed until 2020. As of 2022, the project is on hold.Cloud Arch
City Art Sydney

Announcement

The sculpture was announced on 29 July 2014 as part of a $9 million package of public artworks for Sydney. ''Cloud Arch'' was originally expected to cost $3.5 million. The four other artists shortlisted for the George Street sculpture were New Zealander

Bill Culbert William Franklin Culbert (23 January 1935 – 28 March 2019) was a New Zealand artist, notable for his use of light in painting, photography, sculpture and installation work, as well as his use of found and recycled materials. He was born in ...

Song Dong Song Dong (, born 1966) is a Chinese contemporary artist, active in sculpture, installations, performance, photography and video. He has been involved in many solo and group exhibitions around the world, covering a range of themes and topics inc ...

of China, Australian Mikala Dwyer, and

Ugo Rondinone Ugo Rondinone (born November 30, 1964) is a Swiss-born artist widely recognized for his mastery of several different media—most prominently sculpture, drawing and painting, but also photography, architecture, video and sound installation— ...

of Switzerland. Announced at the same time were ''Pavilion'' by

Hany Armanious Hany Armanious (born 1962) is an Australian artist who lives and works in Sydney. Armanious produces installations and sculptural forms, as well as paintings and drawings. Life and work Hany Armanious was born in Ismailia, Egypt and migrated to ...

, a

milk crate Milk crates are square or rectangular interlocking boxes that are used to transport milk and other products from dairies to retail establishments. In English-speaking parts of Europe the term "bottle crate" is more common but in the United S ...

to be placed in

Belmore Park Belmore Park is a public park at the southern end of the Sydney central business district in the Australian state of New South Wales. Adjacent to the Central railway station, the park is bounded by Hay Street, Eddy Avenue, Elizabeth Stree ...

, and ''The Distance of Your Heart'' by

Tracey Emin Tracey Karima Emin, CBE, RA (; born 3 July 1963) is a British artist known for her autobiographical and confessional artwork. Emin produces work in a variety of media including drawing, painting, sculpture, film, photography, neon text and ...

, to consist of 60 bronze bird sculptures perched on poles and above doorways in the northern end of the central business district. Development applications for the sculptures were to be lodged by the end of 2015.

Remodelling

In 2017, the design was remodelled as a result of the original being incompatible with requirements of the new light rail infrastructure running beneath it. Trams will pass beneath the arch as part of the new south east light rail network, which links

Circular Quay Circular Quay is a harbour, former working port and now international passenger shipping port, public piazza and tourism precinct, heritage area, and transport node located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on the northern edge of the Syd ...

and

Central Station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

through George Street. The sculpture's new design was necessary to compensate for the subterranean changes. It requires more steel, is wider and heavier than the one originally proposed (now at 53 metres wide using 140 tonnes of steel, rather than 28.5 metres wide using 58 tonnes). The increased width and the rise in cost from the initial expectation of to $11.3 million, explained as due to changes in the price of steel since 2015, were both criticised, although it was pointed out that the city spends two-thirds that amount every year for temporary works for

Sydney New Year's Eve Sydney New Year's Eve is an annual New Year's Eve fireworks event in Sydney, Australia. The event currently consists of two fireworks shows, with an evening display known as the "Family Fireworks" held at 9:00 p.m. AEST, and the main "Midnight ...

. On 29 August 2017, a six to four majority of city councillors voted to approve the sculpture. It was originally expected to be completed by March 2019, to coincide with the original planned opening of the George Street light rail line. However, the project was placed on hold in 2018, with the City of Sydney Council stating that it would be revisited as part of the "Town Hall Square" project, a proposal to demolish a number of nearby buildings to create a large plaza east of

Critical response

Immediate reactions to the announcement of the sculpture were broadly supportive, with positive responses from professional critics, one of whom wrote: "its dance like thrown ribbon in the sky, will excite Sydney's municipal heart, a

lasso A lasso ( or ), also called lariat, riata, or reata (all from Castilian, la reata 're-tied rope'), is a loop of rope designed as a restraint to be thrown around a target and tightened when pulled. It is a well-known tool of the Spanish an ...

to the heavens". Popular reaction was dominated by dismissive similes – comparisons of ''Cloud Arch'' to everyday objects, and whimsical nicknames for the work, such as "space noodle". However, as one writer explained: "Good art makes us see something anew. It's not about money, or tourism, or popularity. It's about insight – and if it comes with delight and wit, all the better." During the December 2018 city council debate to defer the project it was described by opposition politicians as a “ridiculous vanity project”, the same week

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

ran an editorial strongly defending the project.

References

{{Coord, display=title, -33.872983, 151.207018, type:landmark_region:AU Buildings and structures in Sydney Public art in Sydney

Announcement

Remodelling

Critical response

See also

References