City buildings become public art pieces

City buildings will turned into permanent art works in a bid to breath new life into a CBD precinct and attract more tourists to Melbourne.

An artist's impression of the huge new artwork that will be painted onto the facade of 150 Lonsdale st.,

City buildings will turned into permanent art works in a bid to breath new life into a CBD precinct and attract more tourists to Melbourne.

The 110m high facade of a new Lonsdale St skyscraper will become the canvas for a huge artwork by an award-winning artist by day that lights up with animation at night.

The day and night artwork on the eastern facade of 150 Lonsdale St will be the hero piece of a new art trail to be unveiled as part of Charter Hall’s $1.4 billion Wesley Place development.

The walls of a nearby laneway will be lit up with LED lighting and digital art in a move expected to make the area one of the most Instagrammable parts of the city.

Eight key public artworks will go on display in total, including sculptures, paintings, murals, Indigenous art and digital and light exhibitions.

Charter Hall senior development manager Emma Downey said it would “add the edge that is missing and create a point of interest’’ in a precinct steeped in heritage and bluestone architecture.

The walls of a nearby laneway will be lit up with LED lighting and digital art.

Eight key public artworks will go on display

“We were looking at all the different audiences who might be interested in coming into the precinct and how we could connect with them in a way that creates more of a place than just a building,’’ she said.

“Trying to get people there and actually make it somewhere worth visiting.’’

“Multi sensory art experiences’’ will range from a kids zone to a tribute to elders of the Kulin nation as empty spaces are turned into tourist attractions.

An abstract mural up to 80m high will be painted on the side of 150 Lonsdale St by Stanislava Pinchuk, whose works hang in the Sydney Opera House, Musée des Arts Decoratifs and National Gallery of Australia.

“Particularly at night in this precinct, there is not a lot happening at the moment so it will be quite present,’’ Ms Downey said.

“And you can actually see this site from Spring St, there is different viewpoints from the city where you will see this quite well.’’

A new Lonsdale St skyscraper will become the canvas for a huge artwork by an award-winning artist by day that lights up with animation at night.

Jones Lane will be transformed into mixed media zone with works up to 60m high beamed onto brick walls and windows.

Deputy mayor Nick Reece said the empty wall of the laneway “provides the perfect canvas’’ to “take street art to a new level in the city and will become a must-visit destination for fans of urban art.”

“The public artwork will feature a stained-glass window element that draws on the neo-gothic and modernist history of the adjoining Wesley Uniting Church,’’ he said.

“The artwork will feature LED lighting to make sure it’s a visible during the day and the night.

“It’s important that we continue to support creative projects that provide jobs and boost for our local economy.’’

“This is sure to become an Instagram classic for Melbourne.’’

The art trail is expected to be finished by the end of 2023.