Mesh Direct has wrapped a striking, large-scale artwork which pays homage to traditional Indigenous navigation and land management around scaffolding on the facade of the Woolworths building, in one of Sydney’s busiest intersections.
Mesh Direct said it is the largest piece of Indigenous art to ever be displayed in this way in Australia.
The artwork ‘Ancient Tracks’ was designed by 25-year-old Kungarakan graphic designer Toby Bishop. He created the impressive piece in response to an art competition call out from the City of Sydney in 2021.
‘Ancient Tracks’ was printed on a Building Wrap by Mesh Direct, with the company saying that the sheer size of the artwork meant that the printing and installation required for the project was nothing short of immense.
Replicating the detail of the original artwork on such a large scale required particular care and attention and the wrap was broken down into eight huge 180kg panels for the installation process and to fit the scaffold.
“One only must glance upon the ‘Ancient Tracks’ artwork to understand the true scope of this job. We were presented with several challenges throughout the process of producing this magnificent piece of artwork,” the company said.
“Firstly, the timeframe was incredibly tight. Commencing the installation just prior to Christmas last year, this job rode a COVID wave as well as unprecedented rain and floods. Then, once installed, we notched winds up to 120km per hour, really challenging the integrity of the product at almost 180kg per panel.
“The foot traffic through Sydney meant the installation had to be completed between 10pm and 6am each day, with traffic controllers on-site to guarantee the safety of everyone involved. At over 3500sqm in size, safety was certainly our biggest challenge but one we faced head-on with success.”
And the nature of the artwork meant that a green approach to production was essential. As a 100 per cent carbon neutral business, Mesh Direct produced ‘Ancient Tracks’ in line with the ‘green’ brief Tony Bishop created his artwork off.
Mesh Direct said not only is it the largest piece of Indigenous art to be displayed on scaffolding, but it is also the largest carbon neutral wrap in Australia as far as it knows.
Mesh Direct director Andrew Doenicke said, “this was a fantastic opportunity to align our own desire for a greener city with the values bound within Tony’s incredible artwork. The two marry up perfectly and we are incredibly proud to have been part of this project”.
The artwork has been displayed since the start of the year and will remain in place until the end of the year while the Woolworths building is being repainted.
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