Hyperkulturemia

'Hyperkulturemia'  is a psychosomatic disorder that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fainting, confusion and even hallucinations when an individual is exposed to an experience of great personal significance, particularly viewing art. ‘Hyperkulturemia’ is also the title of the sold out exhibition of sculptural paintings by Matthew Sheargold exploring memory and experience through colour, lighting, and geometric studies.

Sheargold is an award winning designer who draws on over 20 years experience working as an interior, furniture and product designer to inform his artwork. Fighting a constant battle to loosen up, his work is structured and restrained, using shapes, forms and symbols as efficiently as possible to tell a story. Drawing from fond memories and random moments, Matt's work seeks to explore the essence of the journeys we take and just how much detail our mind needs to remember them.

The exhibition was sponsored by Axolotl Paint with all the artworks using paints from the Chroma and Metta ranges.

Sheargold says, “Metta has a beautiful matt texture which worked brilliantly as the base for my works. Combined with different sheen levels of the Chroma range, Axolotl Paints were the ideal medium”.

Whilst your next design project may be a simpler expression than Matthew’s paintings, the superior pigmentation and depth of colour of Axolotl Paint will elevate it to be a work of art in itself.

You can find more images of the ‘Hyperkulturemia' exhibition here.

Scribbly Gum by Jade Oakley

The Scribbly Gum artwork floats along the side of a suspended ceiling in the new ACT Law courts building and can be viewed from the street, reception level and mezzanine. 

The artwork is a reference to the local landscape and an artistic response to the curvaceous wall. The combination of white washed timber and light, as well as the immense scale give the artwork a sense of refinement and gravitas appropriate for its setting. LED lighting strips are used to create a visually dynamic artwork, as bright points of light appear to slowly weave their way through the curvaceous maze of scribbles. The gradual, glowing movement creates a sense of time passing and a feeling of calm, like watching a fire or shadows passing over the landscape. 

“As an artist I am struck by the use of the Scribbly Gum in civic planting as you enter Canberra. The patterns themselves are beautiful graphics and unmistakably those of the Scribbly Gum, even when appropriated, enlarged and reproduced. Bringing these patterns into the interior of the court creates a sense of place, a link to the local landscape. The Scribbly Gum also lends the artwork a light touch as it reminds us of the wonder of nature, and nature’s ‘sense of humour.’ The whimsical patterns on the scribbly bark bring to mind childhood, and time spent in the bush. It is a reminder of our native land, the place that grounds us and links us together. It is a symbol of the culture and landscape to which we belong.” Jade Oakley.

Scribbly Gum was a 14-month process from concept and design development, through to installation. AAP Art projects, the art division of Axolotl, were instrumental in the design process working closely with Jade Oakley to ensure suitability for construction, installation and engineering.

The unique artwork canvas with no straight lines provided the first challenge. To overcome this we brought the installation team Stratti Build in to the project early on. The wall was surveyed on site via cherry picker and drawn on CAD. Over twenty templates were then produced from a datum point on the wall to allow for the successful mapping and installation of the artwork.

Scribbly Gum is made up of over 100 individual panels up to 3360 x 1560mm in size, and is split over three depths.

Each layer has been sanded and treated in the Axolotl factory with Axolotl Timber Wash Interior Roan paint with varying opacities.

Images of Scribbly Gum's design development can be found here.

Artist: Jade Oakley
Project Management: Creative Road
Design and surface treatment: Axolotl
Manufacture: Polygenic Design
Engineering & Lighting Design: Northrop
Installation: Stratti Building
Professional Photography: Ben Wrigley

Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2018

Axolotl are once again proud to be Supporting Partner of Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi for 2018. 

This year we provided material sponsorship and artisan support to a further four artists - Michael Le Grand, Lucy Barker, Jim Flook and Rhiannon West. Each selected based on the quality of their concepts and our capabilities to assist with their diverse aesthetics. It has been an exciting and challenging process supporting each artist to realise their vision, and reinforces our own commitment and passion to support the arts.

The 22nd annual exhibition can be enjoyed on the stunning coastal walk between Bondi and Tamarama, until the 4th November. It is the world's largest free public exhibition and transforms the coast into a 2km long outdoor gallery, featuring over 100 sculptures by Australian and international artists.

If you are an artist looking for an experienced and passionate partner to facilitate your art projects, Axolotl, through our specialist AAP division can offer a range of services. We have experience designing and fabricating in an extensive range of construction materials as well as offer a range of unique, proprietary surfaces. To get in contact email art@axolotl.com.au or phone 02 9666 1207.

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Michael Le Grand
GUARDIAN
Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2018
Materials: Mild steel, Axolotl Bronze Rust Patina
Guardian is the balancing act of found and shaped metal objects formed to establish a nominaltotemic orientation.

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Lucy Barker

OUTLET
Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2018
Materials: Electrical cable, wire frame, Axolotl Bronze Florentine Patina
A dense and complex tangle of discarded electrical cables in an intentionally ambiguous form. Outlet is constructed in a lozenge shape that could be a missile, a seed, or perhaps a lump of human detritus rolled by the sea and washed up on the rocks. With connotations of consumption and entrapment, its worm like tangled surface is visually perplexing in its complexity.

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Jim Flook
SWERVE ONE
Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2018
Materials: Mild steel, paint
Contemplation of unfolding and unpredictable swerves of life's complexities.

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Rhiannon West
FLIGHT
Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2018
Materials: Stainless steel, dichroic glass, mild steel, paint, Axolotl Stone
A playful and inviting sculpture for that ‘Instagram moment’. Reflective and
vibrant; dichroic lenses form the “tips” to the wings which reflect and refract the light.

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Memorial

A hundred years ago six Diggers returned from the poppy fields of France, sat on Freshwater beach and discussed creating a place where they could be together and support each other. This was the genesis of the Harbord Diggers and the original Diggers are now honoured by the six poppies in a Memorial artwork by artist Jade Oakley. This impressive work was recently manufactured in partnership with Oakley and installed at the entry of the newly renovated Harbord Diggers venue. The glowing perforated brass background represents the sea and the sand of Freshwater beach. The flickering light of the concealed flames within each poppy are a reminder of the eternal flame, and the poppies appear to ‘grow’ from a reflective pool lined with dark granite below. The words ‘Courage, Sacrifice, Endurance and Mateship’ are carved in 20mm thick black stone and pinned to the wet edge of the pool.

Each poppy has been hand beaten from 3mm mild steel by artistic blacksmiths Lok Sutherland and Chris Sulis. The marks of the hammer are still evident on the metal surface. These sculptures have been borne from strength and force, as the blacksmiths physically struggled with the material. This sense of physicality lends potency to the artwork, which commemorates the bravery, ingenuity and strength of our soldiers.

In true form of Oakley’s art practice, the poppies are kinetic. Each poppy is balanced on a hidden hook, so that when the Southerly blows in off the sea the sculptures bob and dance like poppies in a field. This movement lends a lightness to the work and creates a surprising interaction between this, an essentially indoor artwork, and the exposed headland on which the Diggers is located.

Feng Shui dictates that this site represents fire. This has been achieved through the warmth of the polished Axolotl copper surface and the flame lights flickering within the poppies as well as the glowing perforated background, reflected in the water. The wet edge of the pool creates a very calm experience through sound and a sense of flow and movement. This feels like a meditative space. An appropriate place to pause and remember our Diggers.

When the artwork was commissioned to Jade Oakley, Dale Hunt, the then Mounties Group General Manager of Northern Sites, asked Jade if anyone in her family had fought in a war. “What kind of memorial would you make for them?” 

"Dale was right to ask this question, because what he was demanding from me as an Artist was not a design solution, but an intensely personal response to the creation of a War Memorial at the new Harbord Diggers. The work needed to be more than symbolic; it needed to tell the particular narrative of Harbord’s original returned Diggers. 

And was this the artwork that I would have made for my own Grandfather, who was a surgeon on the Kokoda Track in WW2? My Grandfather performed an emergency surgery on a young soldier who had had part of his scull shot off. He beat a shilling to create a temporary plate to seal the man’s scull. So for Grandpa’s memorial I would have hand beaten a shilling into a large flat disc. Maybe it was this thought that underpinned the design of the Memorial after all.” Jade Oakley

AAP project managed the Memorial artwork and worked closely with Oakley throughout development, design, fabrication and installation, from digitising Oakley’s drawings of the sea’s perforations, through to exploring the materiality of the work.

Artist: Jade Oakley
Project Management: AAP
Art Consultant: PublicArt.works
Photography: Carolyn Price

Interplay

Jade Oakley’s Interplay is a site specific public artwork which was commissioned by Waverley Council after winning the public vote.

The artwork aims to protect, celebrate and draw attention to this important natural feature in this busy urban mall.

"When I first thought about Waverley Mall as the site for a public artwork I was drawn to the trees. They are the most beautiful element in this place. They provide shade and shelter, beauty and calm. Every branch describes a different curve through the air. Every single leaf of these trees is unique. I wanted to embrace them.

‘Interplay’ expresses a symbiotic dance between art and nature. The sculptural forms are poised mid-waltz with the trees. Each of these screens is unique, inspired by microscopic photographs of plants. They are intended as a reminder of the little marvels that surround us; growth, decay, transformation.

These sculptures began with my drawings of the cellular structure of plants. The drawings were digitised and laser cut from 8mm thick mild steel. The screens were rolled to create a curve, then hand beaten by blacksmiths to create interesting sculptural forms. After galvanising the screens were coated with Axolotl copper and aged with Verdigris and Florentine, hand polished and sealed. The effect created is of a richly aged surface. The sculptures that look like they belong here beneath the trees, and as though they have always been here." Jade Oakley

AAP worked with Jade Oakley and Creative Road on the design and fabrication of Interplay from concept design through to the polish of the aged Axolotl metal surface treatment.

Artist: Jade Oakley
Project Management: Creative Road
Professional Photography: Carolyn Price

Looking Up

When Westfield commissioned Australian artist Jade Oakley to produce ambient art pieces for their central escalator cladding and a multi storey lift well at Westfield Parramatta she was instantly inspired by the indigenous plants of the area.

“I was amazed to find Lake Parramatta, tucked in behind a busy road, with some really beautiful original forest around it, including towering gum trees and mossy glades with trickling streams and tree ferns. I spent a day there sketching and photographing and thinking. Looking up is an artwork that sprang from this encounter with a surprising pocket of nature in a busy part of Sydney.”

‘Looking up’ is installed over the body of four escalators located in the centre court of Westfield Parramatta. Created using a white on white palette, this artwork is intricate and elegant all at once. Viewers can study the artwork while walking through the centre court and riding the escalators to the levels above. 

The cladding is made from Alucobond treated in a custom shimmering white 2pak. The background features an etched relief of the forest canopy, and the panels are embellished with a second layer of perforated leaf screens that wrap around the sides of the escalators.

See more photos of the project, including production and process shots by visiting the project page.

SXS x AAP - 3 days to go

Only three days to go until Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2017 ends so if you haven’t had a chance, do yourself a favour and get down to Bondi. Over 100 sculptures from Australian and international artists line the iconic walkway from Bondi to Bronte. 

In honour of the exhibition and our role as a Supporting Partner, AAP have put together a small video featuring the amazing work of sponsored artists. Turn your sound up and enjoy.

SXS x AAP

Marcel Cousins
FLOWER POT
Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2017
A three dimensional experience. Like a Japanese garden the work aims to represent an
experience of nature but one that has been manipulated and highly stylised.
Materials: Aluminium, steel, paint

Sculpture by the Sea at Bondi is one of Sydney’s most popular events with up to 500,000 visitors each year. Staged on the spectacular Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk, this free to the public exhibition captures the imagination of Sydney and its visitors for three weeks each spring. Sculpture by the Sea has grown since its inaugural show in 1997 and is now the largest annual sculpture exhibition in the world, this year showcasing 104 sculptures by renowned Australian and International artists.

Axolotl Art Projects are proud to be a Supporting Partner of Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2017 by providing significant contribution in the form of materials and artisan support to four artists. This year the artists selected for Axolotl sponsorship were Marcel Cousins, Stephen Harrison, Elyssa Sykes-Smith and Fiona Kemp.

We believe that arts and cultural events like Sculpture by the Sea are what keep communities vibrant and active and we are proud to play a small part by supporting these artists to create their artworks. Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2017 is now open and will run until 5 November.

If you are an artist looking for an experienced partner to facilitate your art projects, Axolotl, through our specialist AAP division can offer an extensive range of services. We are unique in our offer of our own specialist surfaces and have experience designing and fabricating across most construction materials. To get in contact email art@axolotl.com.au or phone 02 9666 1207.

Elyssa Sykes-Smith
STAGNATION
Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2017
Image © Jessica Wyld
A site specific installation that explores the psychological state of being trapped in an intimately familiar, neurotic pattern of thought.
Materials: Concrete, copper wire, steel, Axolotl Copper

Stephen Harrison
MOLLY AND CHARLES
Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2017
Unearthed aeroplanes of World war 2, coupled with Stephen’s family history, loss and memory.
Materials: Steel, Axolotl Bronze, patina, Zinc

Fiona Kemp
GEOGRAPHY
Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2017
From and early age we are taught, by the use of maps, to view the world through an abstract representation of place. This work consists of seven templates that fit together, like a jigsaw puzzle. Exploring the way objects, images and repetitive practices resonate in memory.
Materials: Mild Steel

AAP proud Supporting Partner of Sculpture by the Sea 2017

Axolotl is a known innovator in surfaces and world class project management. More recently it has focused on sculpting a reputation within the arts sector as the ideal partner for large art projects. As part of this commitment to the arts, Axolotl Art Projects is excited to announce it's commitment as a Supporting Partner of Australia’s iconic, Sculpture by the Sea.

Selected artists will receive a significant contribution in the form of materials and artisan support to help realise their vision. They will be able to choose from the full palette of Axolotl surfaces including metals, stone, terracotta and glass, affording the artist the ability to reinterpret any surface into something completely unique.

Managing Director, Kris Torma, of AAP says “The creative arts have always been a passion of ours, and we were looking for a way to provide support directly to artists when the opportunity to sponsor Sculpture by the Sea came about. We are incredibly proud of this association and see our relationship growing to be an ongoing, integral part of this amazing and original art show”.

Watch this space for updates as we get closer to the launch of the 2017 Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi exhibition.

If you would like to bring your own creative vision to life – be it a sculpture, or a living art piece for your home such as a front door or bath -  contact our design team today on 02 96661207.

Art in review

Axolotl Art Projects are excited to showcase a selection of the recent public art projects and art collections we have been involved in.

Mallee (pictured above), by artist Jade Oakley is the most recently installed public artwork going up in its new home at Bendigo hospital early last month. A set of six kinetic mobiles link between two buildings at the new Bendigo Hospital, injecting the narrow void with an ever-changing canvas for the patients, staff and visitors to enjoy.

Each mobile is constructed from hand forged stainless steel hoops, a vine of intertwined stainless steel leaves with woven copper centres span the diameter. The mobiles were treated in Axolotl Copper metal and feature dappled green verdigris ageing.

Axolotl Art projects were commissioned to produce this intricate glass artwork, drawn by eminent Chinese pop artist Jacky Tsai. The piece is on its way to be installed in the Rouge Lounge on the Genting Dream Luxury cruise liner.

A fusion of pop culture and traditional themes synonymous with Jacky Tsai, the artwork is presented as a glowing red light box reminiscent of Chinese lanterns. The entry artwork has been created from custom laminated red glass with Axolotl Brass metal LINK on the surface. With intricate details as fine as 1mm wide, it took the Axolotl team over 120 hours just to produce the detail on the artwork.

SMC Design Art Consultancy sourced art for the Genting Dream on an international level and worked with renowned artists, as well exciting up-and-coming talent. Our own Emmaline Tuza was also commissioned to create a series of eight custom artworks for the Junket room on the luxury cruise liner.

Thee oblique distance set above by artist Lynne Roberts-Goodwin was created for her for closeupatadistance exhibition held in October at Kronenberg Wright Artists Projects in Sydney.

The set consists of twenty photo-etched negatives, laser embossed and etched onto 10mm thick aluminium metal. Within this key series the work has engaged with the Dead Sea and surrounding contested sites of environmental and political impact from aerially oblique and ground positions.

We also had the pleasure of working with Jade Oakley on her private commission for Otto Ristorante Brisbane.

Sketches of intertwined mangroves inspired from Jade’s first site visit were translated into laser cut, hand rolled and welded mangroves in 3mm thick Brass sheet, aged to represent tide and watermarks. The tips of the branches are adorned with kinetic mobiles with leaf elements in brass, stained timber and dyed silk which move gently in the breeze coming in off the river.

These projects, along with many of our latest art projects can be seen in more detail on the Axolotl Art Projects website. You also can find more information on showcased artists through their websites below.

www.jadeoakley.com.au
www.jackytsai.com
www.lynnerobertsgoodwin.com

Rain Shadow

Photography by @carolynpricephotography

“Night falls early in this place. Above the canopy, birds wheel and glide in the sunlight while below the wet air rises from the earth. Fig trees tower above, their tangle of roots reaching into the piles of skeleton leaves below. Moss and lichen adorn every surface and the green air is alive with the sounds of small birds and flowing water. I stop and breathe the earth in this place of rain and shadow.” Jade Oakley

Photography by @carolynpricephotography

Photography by @carolynpricephotography

Axolotl have had the privilege of working closely with Australian artist Jade Oakley on a series of recent art projects. We have received a strong response from our clients, with a number of Jade Oakley maquettes on display in our showroom from current public art ventures.

Rain Shadow is Oakley’s latest project, a solo exhibition opening August 23 at the Australian Galleries Sydney.

This breathtaking exhibition presents a series of 15 hanging mobiles, 5 ‘Rain Shadow’ lights which combine lighting with copper mobile elements and 4 small free standing mobiles. The body of work is made up of more than 200 individually perforated and aged leaf elements.

“Rain Shadow is a new body of work inspired by a rainforest walk in the hinterland above Byron Bay. I have made mobiles from copper, which I have obsessively perforated by hand to reveal the patterns of veins and texture of leaves. I love the sense of translucency that is achieved through this process and I am fascinated how a once solid material can become ethereal and, to my eye, magical. The effect of light and shadow created by the perforated mobile elements is beautiful.” Jade Oakley

Photography by @carolynpricephotography

Photography by @carolynpricephotography

Each of the copper leaf elements in Rain Shadow have been hand polished and many have been treated with an Axolotl Pearl Patina ageing. The Pearl Patina ageing adds an organic, dappled honey glow to the surface and enhances the delicate styling of the artworks. The metal treatment is also sealed to provide a long-lasting effect that avoids the bright and inconsistent tarnishing raw metals are subject to.

We would like to extend the invitation for you celebrate Jade Oakley’s latest project by visiting Rain Shadow – open 7 days, 10am to 6pm, current through to 11 September 2016. Artworks will be available for purchase through Australian Galleries.

Australian Galleries Sydney | 15 Roylston Street Paddington NSW 2021 | australiangalleries.com.au | jadeoakley.com.au 

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TOP5FEET

Submerge into Paddington Reservoir Gardens, where you’ll find TOP5FEET, an immersive aquatic artwork by artist Dale Jones-Evans. You’ll be engulfed by an ethereal pool of water through which a swimmer is completing continuous laps, created by light and sound projections.  

TOP5FEET is inspired by the reservoir’s original purpose to provide water to parts of Sydney in the late 1880s. The artwork references the reservoir’s original purpose and emphasises its shortcomings. When the reservoir was in operation, the limited elevation meant only the top five feet of water could be used to service dwellings, hence its title.

“It was one of seven reservoirs and is a chunk of archaeology that is of local significance,” says Jones-Evans. “In a dry land water is essential – so that was the measure of its importance in servicing Sydney’s expanding suburbs, which rose on the hills above the gravitational force of where water naturally flows.”

“It’s an unusual public space for Australia, a kind of catacomb of utility – a once water vessel.  I thought the site had poetic resonance and delight,” he continues.

TOP5FEET has been created in collaboration with Axolotl Art Projects, it is a composition of formed glass, light, sound and animation – filmed at the Andrew (Boy) Charlton pool.

Selected by the City of Sydney, it will launch the new year round Art & About festival, where art is brought to the city outside of the traditional springtime festival dates.

TEAM Artist: Dale Jones-Evans, Project Management & Manufacture: Axolotl Art Projects, Lighting: Big Screen Projects and 32Hundred Lighting, Audio Production: I-C-S-A, Content: Sugarglider Productions, Model: Cassie Egan, Commissioned: City of Sydney.

Pier One Sydney Harbour (Lobby, Bar and Restaurant Refurbishment)

• Bar, Light Sculpture, Floor Inlays: Axolotl
• Lighting Design: Electrolight
• Architect: Bates Smart
• Photography: Rohan Venn

Over the last year Electrolight have been working closely with Bates Smart Architects on the design for the revitalised Pier One Sydney Harbour, the high-end hotel and conference facility located at Walsh Bay in Sydney. Pier One Sydney Harbour is situated on a former real-life pier originally constructed in 1912. The location affords spectacular views over Sydney Harbour.

Electrolight's design for the bar and dining areas features a custom light sculpture inspired by the organic form and movement of the ocean's creatures and the way modern yachts replicate these same movements. The commissioned work, named 'Squelette', was both conceptualised and detailed by the Electrolight team in Sydney. The detailed design was quite a process, with over 300 parts requiring site assembly, with all parts suspended utilising gravity to hold it's form. Specialist fabricator Axolotl were appointed to manufacture the piece and were instrumental in the realisation of the work, affording Electrolight the opportunity to create the machined organic forms in a lightweight brass aesthetic using Axolotl’s proprietary metal coating techniques.

Design Director Donn Salisbury said "It's particularly pleasing to see this project come to fruition. It's not every day you get to work on a project with such a wonderful backdrop as Sydney Harbour. It was the perfect inspiration for our art and provides the ultimate backdrop. Axolotl were key in making this piece true to it's concept, it gave us the ability to materialise our vision."

For further information on Axolotl, or to discuss your own unique project requirements please contact Axolotl on 02 9666 1207 or info@axolotl.com.au.

Ginkgo, Lily, Monsteria

Axolotl were delighted to be involved in the creation of this beautiful series of 2 metre tall sculptures by artist Jade Oakley, commissioned by the new Westfield's Miranda Shopping Centre.

"My creative process began with a visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. I sat on the ground and made detailed sketches of the pattern of leaf veins" says Oakley who hand illustrated each of the detailed leaf designs in ink. Each drawing was then digitised, scaled and precision laser cut in Mild Steel by Axolotl.

The leaves were individually rolled and carefully hand forged to create the rippled surface before being welded to its stem and wrapped around the custom polished concrete base.

The sculptures were treated with an Axolotl Bronze Lunar coating, aged with a florentine verdigris patina and hand polished to highlight the bronze and accentuate the forms.

"The patina that Axolotl has applied to these sculptures is so beautiful, and just what I had in mind. In places the bronze paint shows through the patina, creating a deep lustre, and in other areas the organic patina glows green against the metal." Jade Oakley.

Jade is truly a pleasure to collaborate with, her engagement throughout the entire creation of her artwork from inception through to manufacture is testament to the highly crafted works she creates.

Anzac Poppies

Axolotl was recently requested by Distinctive Living Design to help create a thought provoking and meaningful tribute to the ANZAC's, which was launched as part of the ANZAC day commemorations this year. The poppies were made from hand beaten steel and Axolotl accentuated this feature by applying custom finish to the petals and a textural concrete to the stems.

Currently in Factory

AAP are currently working on completing these large Poppy sculptures with the team from Distinctive Living Design, shown below being galvanised. They will have a bright red finish applied to the petals that allows the hand beaten texture in the petals to read through. A custom pigmented concrete finish will also be applied to the stem. To be installed in Carrington for this years Anzac day commemoration.

Specular

Axolotl Art Projects were shortlisted as one of three contenders from an international line-up to create two feature walls for Hong Kong airport. At this point in time, everything is crossed for success which will be an accolade not just for Axolotl and the many partner companies who have become part of this project, but also for Australian design and manufacturing. 

Whilst we are unable to disclose our design for the Hong Kong airport due to confidentiality agreements, we can let you know that our new Specular glass is an exciting cutting edge technology, made specifically for this project.

A teaser and close up of Specular Glass is shown on the video below which demonstrates the infinite depth achieved using this process.

Axolotl Projects: LINK Glass

Nestled under No1 Pacific Place, Chatswood is a thoroughfare that is above the ordinary.

Axolotl was commissioned by Mirvac Special Projects, to create a back-lit glass feature wall to run the length of the walkway. Artist Pamela See was called on to create the stunning artwork that adorns the glass who then implemented our unique palette of processes to execute the artwork to full effect. 

The Axolotl 'LINK' glass features an Axolotl Copper coating bonded to frosted laminated glass and then aged with a Verdigris patina. Pamela's artwork was then carved through the metal to allow subtle blades of light to penetrate the surface. The artwork continues through to custom designed, laser cut steel gates at both ends.

This walkway is in an area that could have easily been overlooked but is now thought of as the crown jewel of the development. It’s a testimony to how thoughtful art can define an area with a distinctive character and support a positive ecology in the life that works and lives within it.

This is the second successfully completed collaboration with Pamela See and Axolotl. The other being the widely acclaimed and award winning Chinatown Kiosk, we featured last year.

Walking Blank

'Walking Blank' is a sculpture by Canberra artist Rosalind Lemoh. Using a taxidermists mannequin (referred to as a blank), the deer has been remodelled and coated in Axolotl Graphite, to create a sleek industrial form that explores the relationship between the natural and urban environment.

Chinese Lantern

Axolotl projects: Feature glass in Chinatown.  Artist: Pamela See

Those visiting the bustling inner Sydney district of Chinatown recently will have been treated to the dazzling glow of red light from a new information kiosk.

This concept was designed by Frost* Design and Lacoste + Stevenson Architects, with feature glass supplied by Axolotl.

The feature walls were created using toughened and curved glass, with a textured Graphite design adding dimension and tactile interest. Daytime throws sun onto graphite creating shine, whilst at night the kiosk comes alive with the area being backlit to contrast the red with solid graphite.

David Stevenson explains the concept, "The conversion of the seating pagoda in Dixon Street to an information kiosk to service Chinatown called for a sympathetic and contextual design. The design approach is to treat the new enclosure as a patterned red lantern by day which is illuminated by night. The lantern is inserted inside the existing pagoda structure and is clearly understood as a new volume. It consists of 2 semi-circular volumes that are clad with patterned, curved glass; the pattern was created by paper-cut artist Pamela Mei-Leng See with cultural reference to the Chinese community including flowers, fish and birds. The sliding semi-circle of glass screens open to reveal a hot red interior that houses a wall of shelving for brochures, pamphlets and tourist information."

This project was made possible thanks to: City of Sydney, Frost* Design, Lacoste + Stevenson Architects, Lighting, Art & Science, Simpson Design Associates, Philip Chun, Morris Goding, Pamela Mei-Leng See, Growthbuilt, AGP Group (Architectural Glass Projects), Bent & Curved, DDK Electrical Services Pty Limited, Top Class Joinery Pty Limited and Axolotl.