OUT THERE Billboard Art Program

City of Yarra initiative in partnership with 7-Eleven.

The OUT THERE Billboard Art Program is a public art project which brings contemporary art to the street.  Dedicated to displaying public art, this billboard site will be activated by a program of works which aims to engage, surprise and intrigue passers by.

Located on Otter Street Collingwood, just at the corner of lively Smith Street, this high profile billboard site will give the local community and visitors to the City of Yarra a chance to engage in contemporary public art as part of their everyday life and artists the opportunity to have their work seen by thousands of people every day.

Watch this space for further information about the future programming of the site.

The City of Yarra wishes to acknowledge 7-Eleven for their generous support of this project.

Billboard 2 – Visionary Images 

 
Banquet

Artwork by Visionary Images

This second artwork in the program is a contemporary photographic retelling of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s “The banquet of Cleopatra” (1743–44).

The original 18th Century work was a pointed social commentary on the extravagance of the Italian aristocracy. Tiepolo chose to work across centuries and societies, connecting the decadence of his contemporaries with the infamous lifestyle of the last Pharaoh of Egypt Cleopatra and her lover Mark Antony. Cleopatra and Mark Antony had a wager over who could stage the most decadent banquet. The story conveyed in the painting is of Cleopatra poised to drop her pearl earring (the most expensive in the world at the time) into a goblet of vinegar. The pearl dissolves and Cleopatra drinks the mixture, consuming one of the world’s most precious objects, thereby winning the wager.

The young people and artists of Visionary Images’ have also chosen to work across centuries and societies, connecting today’s obsession with celebrities, consumption, excess and mass media with the lavish waste of Tiepolo’s time. In Visionary Images’ The Banquet, look alikes of famous celebrities and their coterie are portrayed in a contemporary dining setting. Paris Hilton and David Beckham, as two of the world’s most photographed and obsessed-over celebrities, replace Cleopatra and Mark Antony. Donald Trump, Hugh Hefner, the Olsen Twins, an Elvis impersonator and Mike Moore are guests in attendance, being waited on by young teenage fast food workers. Paris is portrayed tipping a glass flute of water over her shoulder with careless disdain. In conceptual development discussions for the piece, young people and artists identified that one of the most precious commodities today is water – particularly in drought-ridden Australia.

This image has also appeared as part of the Here and Now Billboard Art Project in Richmond in 2008 and  as a large-scale light box in a Melbourne laneway in April 2008, as part of Visionary Images’ A-LURE Locative Media Game. Find out more about the A-LURE project at www.a-lure.org.

Project Support

Many individuals and businesses supported the making of this work and without their kind assistance the artwork would not have been realised. All cast and crew gave their time generously for free. The main feast photo shoot was undertaken at CI Studios in Richmond, photographed by Paul Hickman and assisted by Nicole Reed. Gabrielle Bullard and Virginia Dowzer helped pull the lavish look together. Format Furniture supplied the designer furnishings. Harry H, Paula Sacco and Kit Sema from Biba Academy, Trish Sousa and Elise Rogers styled the cast’s hair and makeup. Cose Ipanema, Gwendolynne and Christine provided gorgeous gowns and accessories. Phillip Stokes Glass Studio supplied the extravagant glassware. Peter Jackson supplied suits and Camille from Shiboo provided elaborate dog collars.

The background shots were taken by Leo Farrell from CI Studios and James Widdowson and once again all cast and crew gave their time big-heartedly.  The Banquet required massive amounts of post-production to be undertaken and an incredible job of photo-montage and image refinement was done by James of James Widdowson.com.

To find out more and get involved, visit:
www.visionaryimages.org
Tel: 03 9427 1351
Email: info@visionaryimages.org

The Here and Now Billboard Art Program was a City of Yarra initiative which ran from 2007 to 2008.

 

      

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Further information

Arts & Cultural Services
c/o Richmond Town Hall,

Telephone 9205 5555
Email info@yarracity.vic.gov.au

Links

Within this site
OUT THERE Billboard Art Program 2008-09
Billboard 1 – Jesuit Social Services, Artful Dodgers Studio
Here and Now Billboard Art Program 2007-08
Billboard 1 – November 2007 - Rotary Youth Arts Project
Billboard 2 – December 2007 – Napier Studios
Billboard 3 – Visionary Image

 

Information supplied by: Electronic communications & design officer - 9205 5214

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