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Date published: 18/08/2017
Emerging artist, Alister Yiap’s proposal of a sculpture representing the Past, Present and the Potential was selected for the public art component of a new development in the Jull Street Mall, located in the heart of Armadale Town Centre.
The City of Armadale sought an engaging artwork able to create a sense of place and entrance statement in the busy pedestrian mall facing the train station.
The resulting artwork, The Guardian, is a stainless steel sculpture and a prominent marker or meeting point. The sculpture’s pillars stand as ‘gate keepers’ or ‘guardian angels’ at the beginning of the mall; projecting notions of protection and a safe environment for all who walk within.
Yiap says, “Initially I wanted to create almost a gate or doorway which people could walk through, as to not deviate from the mall’s use as a thoroughfare from the mall to the train station. Eventually it developed that there would be no beam overhead and you could walk through and in between the sculpture. Its form is reminiscent of wings hence the title The Guardian.”
The artwork is both contemporary in language and appearance by utilising reflective materials and lighting to enhance the space. This public art extension of Yiap’s jewellery design practice exemplifies the transformation of scale he applies to the same aesthetic elements and geometrics forms designed to adorn the body now used to embellish space and buildings.
“I’ve learnt to adapt designs suitable for the Public Realm and learn about materials I wasn’t familiar including new manufacturing methods to various robust finishes including; metallic anodised aluminium, reflective mirror facets and gem like forms and sheet metal construction - all inspired by my understanding of jewellery,” he says.
Alister Yiap is a Perth based jewellery designer and artist, working in various forms of design and manufacture within the discipline of jewellery. Yiap has taken part in various national and state initiatives, runways and exhibitions. In 2010 Yiap was announced as the winner in the Mercedes-Benz Western Australian Fashion Awards for the Fine details award.
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Artwork Title: The Guardian by Alister Yiap
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Medium: Stainless Steel
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Dimensions: 4.5 x 2m
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Location: Jull Street Mall, Armadale WA
IMAGES: Alister Yiap, The Guardian, 2017. Jull Street Mall Armadale. Photographer: Paul Parin.
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