City of Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas has formally unveiled the selected site for a $1.5 million, seven-metre statue of a spaceman to be donated to the city.
City of Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas has formally unveiled the selected site for a $1.5 million, seven-metre statue of a spaceman to be donated to the city by US artist Brendan Murphy.
One of five globally, the giant Boonji Spaceman statue will be initially placed on a concrete pad behind the bronze kangaroo statues outside Council House Gardens, off St Georges Terrace.
The 1,365-kilogram carbon fibre statue is expected to be in place later this year and will come at a freight and installation cost to the city of between $150,000 and $250,000.
At a Council House press conference this morning, Mr Zempilas lauded the social media potential of the installation and the juxtaposition it would create with the bronze kangaroos.
Mr Zempilas, who is 195cm tall, poses where the 7m statue will initially be installed.
However, he suggested it could one day find a permanent home at Elizabeth Quay.
“It might be that when Elizabeth Quay comes back into the possession of the City of Perth in the next couple of years from DevelopmentWA that the council might consider, together with the administration, that a permanent relocation to Elizabeth Quay is appropriate,” Mr Zempilas said.
He said the offer from Mr Murphy – who has other Boonji Spaceman installations in Oslo, Dubai, London and Antigua – highlighted the impact of the City of Light campaign pushed by the local council in recent years.
The campaign is a reference to the nickname bestowed on Perth by astronaut John Glenn during a space orbit in 1962.
“The name is as relevant to the City of Perth today as it was sixty years ago,” Mr Zempilas said.
“It’s all the things we stand for: a city that stands out, a city that is united, a city that connects and a city that is welcoming.
“To further enhance that City of Light branding with the Boonji Spaceman statue right in the heart of our city, tying all of those things together, is very special and something that will be enjoyed for generations to come.”
The city hopes the statue will be installed to coincide with an exhibition by Mr Murphy in Perth later this year.
The City of Perth council voted unanimously in favour of footing the costs of transport to accept the gift at a meeting last night.
A public naming competition for the statue is likely.
Two events also won the council’s support.
PrideFEST WA’s Fairday, which previously took place in City of Vincent’s Hyde Park, will be relocated to Supreme Court Gardens in November.
The city will also fund the Dinos Alive interactive animatronic dinosaur exhibition in Northbridge next year.
Mr Zempilas said the city was pleased to have secured the events and noted that all of PrideFEST would now take place within the City of Perth.
“My understanding is that Fairday has outgrown Hyde Park,” he said.
“It’s grown to such an event with so many numbers now that Hyde Park was no longer the most appropriate venue, and that will be disappointing for City of Vincent. We understand they’ve been great supporters of it.
“But we’re very pleased that when PrideFEST WA were looking around at alternative locations they chose the heart of our city and Supreme Court Gardens.”
