The final two pieces of Orange City Council’s Future City public art project will be unveiled on Wednesday 27 March.
Zanny Begg’s Dancing with Bees and Daniel Templeman’s Aperture will be officially launched at an event that will start in the Civic Square South Court at 7pm, before moving up to the laneway at 215 Summer Street at 8:30pm.
Orange Mayor Jason Hamling said the works capped off a four-year project to reinvigorate the central business district and activate public spaces following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We now have 10 public murals, installations and sculptures, produced by local, regional and established Australian artists, right here in the Orange CBD for everyone to enjoy for years to come,” Cr Hamling said.
Dancing with Bees by Zanny Begg.
Located on the outside of the Orange Civic Theatre, Dancing with Bees consists of digital imagery and video shown 24 hours a day on two circular screens. It features videos of local and visiting dancers filmed by local production company Little Image Co, as well as a series of high-resolution images of native bees photographed by the artist at the Insect and Mite Collection at the NSW DPI Biosecurity Unit in Orange. The two screens work as a clock and are designed to keep real time.
Aperture is a light installation that consists of a series of ceiling-mounted geometric forms fitted with LED lighting designed to create a sense of movement along the laneway between the Orange Central Square Shopping Centre car park and Summer Street. It will transform the rundown laneway into a brighter, safer space and aims to create a sense of wonder and delight for pedestrians.
Orange City Council’s Services Policy Committee Chair, Cr Melanie McDonell is looking forward to seeing the last two works in place.
Aperture by Daniel Templeman.
“Both works will be outstanding additions to the city’s public art collection. As well as being visually stunning, Dancing with Bees shares the importance of bees to our environment and celebrates the talent of our local dance community, while Aperture will transform a dark and unwelcoming space into an immersive site of play and experimentation,” Cr McDonell said.
Members of the public are invited to join Dancing with Bees artist Zanny Begg and Department of Primary Industries Collections Curator Peter Gillespie for a discussion in the Gallery Theatre at 5.30pm on Wednesday 27 March, prior to the launch, as well as a performance by Central West dancer, Maddie Tratt, who features in the Dancing with Bees project.
The Public Art Launch will commence in the South Court from 7pm with welcome speeches, followed by a performance by dancers Paityn Klaare and Lylah Maunder, who also feature in the project, who will perform the ‘Sugar Bag Bee’ dance.
Afterwards the group will walk up to the laneway at 215 Summer Street to view Aperture at night and hear from artist Daniel Templeman.
Dancing with Bees is funded by Creative Australia, Create NSW, the NSW Government and Orange City Council, and Aperture is funded by the NSW Government and Orange City Council.
