Medieval architectural fantasy to take centre stage at Sydney Contemporary Art Fair
A seven-metre-tall, neo-medieval ‘Tower of Power’ rendered in slick, early third millennial, industrial vernacular comprised entirely of BondorPanel®, will be one of the centrepieces at the Sydney Contemporary Art Fair in September.
Designed by Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro, ‘Tower of Power’ is a site-specific work commissioned by Bondor and is the third year that the Australian manufacturer and building solutions provider is sponsoring the Sydney Contemporary Art Fair.
160 panels will be used to construct the ‘Tower of Power’ with the largest panel reaching 7.7 meters, allowing for an efficient and easy installation of the artwork.
Artist Claire Healy said BondorPanel® is well suited for the ‘Tower of Power’ due to the product’s many opportunities for wild permutations.
“The innovativeness and versatility of BondorPanel® with its matte, off-white extrusions allowed us to effectively transform a utilitarian industrial stalwart into a medieval architectural fantasy,” Ms Healy said.
“The panels can connect via Bondor Slip joints, so the individual panels slip and lock in together like a kit – easy to use and creates a strong and seamless finish.”
“We can’t imagine that the product was ever intended to be used in such a way – but it also reminds us that Bondor is part of a history of construction that dates several millennia back into history,” she said.
Visitors will be invited to climb the 225 sqm tower for a 360-degree view of the vast exhibition space within Carriageworks. This offers them an architectural ‘god’s eye’ view to the ebb and flow of the fair.
The tower will also function as a mobile phone charging site. While attendees look over the art fair from above, they may also recharge the battery of their mobile phone.
Now in its fifth year, the Sydney Contemporary Art Fair runs from 12 -15 September 2019 and is now an annual event featuring Australia’s largest and most diverse gathering of local and international galleries.
This year the Fair welcomes over 90 galleries from around the world showcasing the work of over 400 leading and emerging artists from more than 12 countries.Barry Keldoulis, CEO and Fair Director said Bondor’s involvement has been invaluable to Sydney Contemporary.
“We’re delighted to be working with Bondor again. Their support helps us bring a whole range of artists to Sydney and contributes greatly to the creation of Australasia’s biggest premium art fair,” Mr Keldoulis said.
“We’re particularly excited to see them enable the ‘Tower of Power’ after successful partnerships in 2018 with the Patricia Piccinini on ‘The Field’ installation, and in 2017 with Robyn Stacey on the camera obscura commission ‘Double Take’ for Deutsche Bank.
“Bondor stands out as a company not stuck in a rut of traditional expectation and willing to think creatively and fluidly about how their products can be used,” he said.
Geoff Marsdon, Bondor’s Executive General Manager said working with the Sydney Contemporary helped the company to test their creative limits.
“Bondor has always been about innovation and incorporating unique functional components in each product we design,” he said.
“We are proud to continue our support of the Sydney Contemporary Art Fair and to play our part in expanding the creative and aesthetic horizons of the Australian community and the built environment,” Mr Marsdon said.