BY the end of the month Bottle Alley in the CBD will feature a new mural honouring the historical city centre.
Cr Marnie Doyle said the heritage thoroughfare dating back to the 1860s will be a canvas for a beautiful mural that pays homage to the ‘Lost Buildings of Ipswich Central’.
“A year ago, council opened an expression of interest opportunity for local, interstate and international creatives to re-imagine Bottle Alley and honour lost buildings of Ipswich,” she said.
“Council received a high level of engagement through this process and concepts from over a dozen artists were submitted, including an international artist.
“We are excited to welcome renowned large scale artists Sharon Billinge and Karla Hayes based in Sydney to Ipswich and are looking forward to watching them bring some of Ipswich’s iconic and historic buildings back to life.
“Their design for the mural will feature five historic and iconic buildings that were close to Bottle Alley decades ago.”
“This mural, together with Lincoln Austin’s Standing in Tulmur Place, Rachel Sarra’s Distant Country in Bell Street and recent temporary pop-up artworks in Ipswich Central, shows that our city continues to embrace public art.
“While artistic talent in our community is immense, a submission was not received from a local artist which council understands was largely due to the particular challenges of the location and the size and scope of the brief to take on this large outdoor canvas.
“Council understands that the unique scale and spatial awareness skills needed to undertake large scale murals are honed by specialists over time.
Bottle Alley is an important connection between Top of Town and the Nicholas Street Precinct, parts of which date back more than 150 years.
The mural will be one of the largest and most impressive pieces of public art in Ipswich, stretching more than 80 metres long, three metres tall and over 60 metres of open-air space.
The artists will commence painting on March 18, with the new Bottle Alley mural due to be completed by March 29.
During this time Bottle Alley will be completely closed for the safety of pedestrians.
