Media response - Beach Road ice cream sculpture
Published on 15 August 2024
Response to The Advertiser.
- The journalist emailed some questions about the new ice cream sculpture on Beach Road, Christies Beach.
I understand the artwork was part of a $600,000 investment into Christies Beach's amenities but how much were the artists paid?
The ice cream artwork is just one element of a wider project to help revitalise the western end of Beach Road, Christies Beach. The artwork – created by artists Will Cheeseman and Laura Wills (of Wills Projects) – cost $41,080 to fabricate and install and it was funded with a $100,000 grant the council received from the state government for public art in the streetscape improvement project.
The $100,000 funding was also used to deliver a massive and bold 125m2 mural on the corner of Beach Road and Roy Terrace, completed in December by Malicious Delicious Creative, and 16 footpath artworks featuring quirky items that might be found at the beach or in the street.
The wider Beach Road Streetscape Improvements project includes lighting, pavement, furniture, street trees and landscaping at key focus areas of the street’s western end, and it’s funded through a $400,000 state government grant (Community Infrastructure Fund), and a $160,000 council contribution.
A separate yet related project will see a new public toilet facility completed on Beach Road at the Original Open Market Site. The toilets are fully funded by the state government and are anticipated to be completed by late 2024.
What's the meaning behind the artwork?
The upturned ice cream is a quirky representation of a typical beach-time experience – a family buys a round of ice creams, only for at least one of them to be dropped on the ground! The artwork also seeks to strengthen the coastal identity of Beach Road, because people commonly associate ice creams with warm summer coastal days.
Was the artwork specifically designed to help attract tourists to Christies Beach and, in turn, to the nearby ice cream business?
The artwork and wider streetscape improvements encourage visitors and locals to stop, dine and linger in the street, fostering economic stimulus and benefiting local businesses. Streetscape improvements along Beach Road were identified as a priority in our Christies Beach Tourism Action Plan and they were developed through engagement with visitors, the community, local businesses and landowners.
The artwork is intended to be a focal point in the street, an attraction as people walk along Beach Road and experience the eclectic mix of local businesses and activities. It wasn’t designed to specifically support any one business, but instead be a representation of a common beach experience.
ENDS