''Cloud Arch'' is a proposed

public artwork Public art is art in any Media (arts), 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 phy ...

Junya Ishigami (born 1974 in Kanagawa prefecture) is a Japanese architect. Ishigami completed his master's degree in architecture and planning at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 2000. Between 2000 and 2004, he worked with Kazuyo Sejima at ...

for George Street,

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. The sculpture is proposed to be a ribbon of twisted, white

stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...

, 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 and ...

, 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-19th-century building located at 429–481 George Street, Sydney, George Street in the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. D ...

, 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 Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

, 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, Installation art, installations, performance, photography and video. He has been involved in many solo and group exhibitions around the world, covering a range of them ...

of China, Australian Mikala Dwyer, and

Ugo Rondinone Ugo Rondinone (born November 30, 1964) is a Swiss-born contemporary artist. Rondinone is known for his temporary, large-scale land art sculpture, '' Seven Magic Mountains'' (2016–2021), with its seven fluorescently-painted totems of large ...

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

Hany Armanious Hany Armanious (born 1962) is an Egyptian born, 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 ...

, 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 Street ...

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

Tracey Emin Dame Tracey Karima Emin (; born 3 July 1963) is an English artist known for autobiographical and confessional artwork. She produces work in a variety of media including drawing, painting, sculpture, film, photography, Neon lighting, neon text ...

, 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 terminal, public piazza and tourism precinct, heritage area, and transport node located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on the northern edge of the ...

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, New South Wales, Australia. The event currently consists of two fireworks shows, with an evening display known as the Calling Country Fireworks (formerly, the Family ...

. 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 lazo ( or ), also called reata or la reata in Mexico, and in the United States riata or lariat (from Mexican Spanish lasso for roping cattle), is a loop of rope designed as a restraint to be thrown around a target and tightened when ...

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 Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

ran an

editorial An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK), is an article or any other written document, often unsigned, written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper or magazine, that expresses the publication's opinion about ...

strongly defending the project.

References

{{Coord, display=title, -33.872983, 151.207018, type:landmark_region:AU Outdoor sculptures in Sydney Public art in Sydney Proposed monuments and memorials

Announcement

Remodelling

Critical response

See also

References