We were appointed by the Mayor of Cairns Regional Council (CRC) and the peak tourism body, Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ), to work with Cairns-based artist Brian Robinson to create an exemplary international public art icon for the new global social movement, the Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef.
This project required us to lead a team in collaboration with Robinson to comprising TTNQ, CRC, Total Project Group Architects, and DCO Consulting Engineers to develop artwork opportunity, concept design and design development reports to provide the Commissioner: with the business case to secure $900,000 in government funding to design, fabricate, and realise this major work. We engaged Traditional Owners and other stakeholders; rigorously investigated site options and design engineering considerations; and assisted the artist to devise a stunning, large- scale public artwork of international standard.
Our project management and curatorial skills kept this project on program and on budget. We assisted the Commissioner: to manage all contracts and agreements and to undertake a commercially competitive fabrication tender to secure the most economical and highly skilled fabrication services. We worked closely with the artist, a professional writer, and the consulting architects through all of the artwork and site design phases to ensure that all visualisations and text were consistent with international standards of artwork business cases. We secured the site and fabricator and continued artist support and fabrication contract supervision on behalf of the Commissioner: to realise this stunning artwork.