The art of filling empty spaces

Jonathon the seagull has taken up residence in the empty shopfront at 29 Queen Victoria Street in Fremantle.

But he’s not a sign the birds have taken over the buildings because of the city’s commercial challenges.

Rather, Jonathon is one of several window vignettes installed across the town centre as part of a joint initiative driven by the Fremantle Chamber of Commerce and the City of Fremantle.

Partnering with local property agents, landowners, artists, and businesses, #freofinds is an art trail that doubles as a campaign to generate prospective tenant or buyer interest.

Other #freofinds windows in the series include the visual illusion Tromp l’oeil cafe at 6 South Terrace, a depiction of an art gallery at 63 High Street, and a giant lobster at the Old Mussell Bar Fishing Boat Harbour.

Fremantle Chamber of Commerce chief executive Danicia Quinlan said the initiative was inspired by Shopjackets, a similar project that had rolled out along mains streets in the UK.

“The creative industries just generally have a huge potential to change the way we think about business and do business and activate spaces and our workplaces in ways that inspire,” Ms Quinlan told Business News.

“The vacancies and the level of empty shopfronts, from a visual point of view, it’s a significant issue within the city.

“We don’t just have to have a … standard sign that looks the same as everyone else’s; we can actually use them as assets to promote the creativity in Freo.

“Ideally what we want to happen is that places do get let quickly and that really interesting businesses get inspired to be in them.”

The initiative has already been funded by the chamber, project partners – Barrett’s Exhibition Group, the Department of Transport (Maritime), Lion and Western Rock Lobster – and some agencies, such as Acton.

Ms Quinlan said three issues had led to the city’s empty shopfronts: a changing retail market; restrictive planning controls governing mixed-use proposals; and landlords happy to sit on vacant tenancies.

“Really, what we’re saying is get creative, let’s avail [ourselves] of the opportunity to activate our high streets and street fronts … let’s actually try and liven up our streets and activate them.”

One #freofinds space on High Street has attracted national art studio, Frida’s Sip n Paint, which has secured a three-year lease and is set to open this month.

Ms Quinlan hopes this recent win will encourage more property groups to consider the alternative approach and fund their own installations.

“We’ve got a long list of artists, it’s just finding the windows,” she said.

“We all have a responsibility to keep our streets looking alive and appealing.”

Photo: Supplied courtesy of the Fremantle Chamber of Commerce.