Kingston Council’s $60k deck chair art slammed as ‘bronzed hard rubbish’
Public art in the form of three bronze deck chairs, commissioned by Kingston Council on the ratepayers’ dime, have been labelled as an “outrageous” waste of cash and an “occupational health and safety incident waiting to happen”. But not everyone agrees.
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A $60,000 ratepayer-funded art installation in Mentone has been mistaken for hard rubbish by some locals.
The New Riviera work, commissioned by Kingston Council as part of its revamp of the shopping precinct, comprises three bronze deck chairs in various stages of erection.
“I thought it was something that was left over by construction works … my eight-year-old daughter thought it was rubbish,” shopper Celia Green said.
And a visitor from Bentleigh, who declined to be named, said the sculpture should “belong in the rubbish bin”.
However the artist, Julie Shiels said she was “very happy with it”.
“I hope people sit on it and take selfies,” she told the Leader.
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In a municipality where the average rates bill is $1,743.52 and where local traders have struggled through the “Mentone Renaissance” — Kingston’s rejuvenation of central Mentone — the hefty cost of the deckchair sculpture has angered some.
“It is outrageous to pay that amount of money for this, “ Ms Green said.
Even Sandringham state Liberal MP Brad Rowswell has weighed in declaring the “bronzed hard rubbish” an “occupational health and safety incident waiting to happen”.
He said the art was a “smack in the face” to traders who felt the pinch from heavy roadworks associated with the revamp.
“Spending $60,000 of ratepayer dollars in this way is a smack in the face to Mentone small business owners,” Mr Rowswell said.
“Shopkeepers bore the brunt of council’s botched management of the Mentone village redevelopment and suffered with loss of trade and income.”
Morris Meats owner Paul Beaumont, whose business took a hit during construction works, said he and other traders didn’t receive an invitation to Wednesday’s official opening ceremony.
“I’ve got no problem with public art, but let’s be practical,” he said.
“It looks like hard rubbish. Council is wasting money that’s not even there … it could be used for more infrastructure.”
But some locals voiced support for the creation, including Mentone man Chris Smyth.
“I like it, I’ll never be one to be critical of art. However I would have liked to have seen some indigenous art added to the area,” he said.
Carmel Costello thought it fitted well with Mentone’s seaside location.
The piece was picked by Kingston’s Arts and Cultural Advisory Committee, which the council said was “made up of four community members with a keen background and interest in the arts”.
Ms Shiels, who lives in the CBD, said she was “very pleased” with the final product.
“A deck chair is normally something that’s really flexible that you can fold into different positions, so (the sculpture) is contradictory to the normal thing … it makes you think about how things are made.”
The busy artist, who has also just completed a brand new piece at Rosanna station in Melbourne’s northeast, said the majority of the Mentone art funding went towards foundry expenses.
“I didn’t get paid a lot … it’s incredibly labouring work and it was all done at a considerably reduced and local rate,” she said.
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“A couple of timber benches and curbing costs about the same.”
“The sculpture for the Mentone Piazza was commissioned following community consultation which showed strong support for a new public artwork to celebrate Mentone’s history and beach culture,” City Assets and Environment general manager Daniel Freer said.
Works for Kingston Council’s Mentone Renaissance project started in October 2018 and includes a new community meeting space, new traffic lights at the intersection of Davies St and Balcombe Rd, and a roundabout at the intersection of Davies and Florence streets.
brittany.goldsmith@news.com.au
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Carmel Costello, 66
Aspendale Gardens
“I think it’s nice. Mentone is a seaside area so it fits with the theme. It’s definitely more appealing than a lot of other art pieces I’ve seen.”
Ian Finlayson, 72
East Bentleigh
“I don’t really get it, I didn’t know it was art. It kind of looks like someone has left their chairs there and there is bird poo on it.”
Celia Green, 44
Mentone
“There should be public consultation before Kingston Council decides to spend $60k on a piece of art. I thought it was something that was left over by construction works. I know art is in the eye of the beholder but this would look better near the beach.”
Chris Smyth, 34
Mentone
“I like it, I’ll never be one to be critical or art. However I would have liked to have seen some indigenous art added to the area.”