An elegant cloud-shaped arch that was proposed to soar above George Street outside Sydney Town Hall.
Artist: Junya Ishigami
Curator: Barbara Flynn
Curator: Barbara Flynn
The Cloud Arch artwork is on hold.
Unfortunately, due to many factors the cost of this project increased significantly.
Council will revisit Cloud Arch as part of the Town Hall Square project and when financial conditions are more favourable.
Artwork description
An elegant cloud-shaped arch was conceived to soar above George Street outside Sydney Town Hall. Cloud Arch was proposed to be situated at the very heart of the city centre and at the midpoint of the new pedestrian boulevard of George Street.
The unique new symbol for Sydney is the eye-catching design of visionary Tokyo-based architect and artist Junya Ishigami. By using the latest construction technology, Cloud Arch was proposed as an arch so high and light it appears cloud-like.
Ishigami’s Cloud Arch was designed to taper and curve in 2 directions and act as a gateway to the George Street boulevard, with trams passing underneath it. Changing shape depending on the viewer’s vantage point, it was intended to be visible from many parts of the city centre and was conceived as a landmark meeting place for Sydneysiders and visitors alike.
By virtue of its placement, scale, quality and power to spur the imagination, Cloud Arch aspires to become the signature entrance to the transformed pedestrian boulevard of George Street.
“The cloud evokes comfort, openness and freedom. Through freedom, it is connected to cloud computing which, in turn, links to the quality of ‘connected city’ so important to Sydney.”
– Junya Ishigami, 2014
Artist
Born in Kanagawa, Japan and living and working in Tokyo, Junya Ishigami is an architect and artist who brings a unique philosophy, aesthetic and skill base to his work. Ishigami is renowned in the artistic world today for the inventiveness of his approach to the built environment.
A visiting professor of the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 2014, Ishigami was the winner of the coveted Golden Lion for best project at the 12th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2010 and the Architecture Institute of Japan Prize in 2009.
City centre public art strategy
Strategies & action plans
City Art public art strategyBeing one of the most visible and accessible types of expression there is, public art is encouraged by the City of Sydney.Published 16 May 2011Strategies & action plans
City centre public art planThis plan aims to bring inspiring public art with a permanent legacy to Sydney’s residents and visitors.Published 30 June 2013
