Street art brings a new dimension to Charlie Parker development in Harris Park
Following in the footsteps of creative cities like London, New York and Berlin, Sydney is fast developing a reputation for its increasingly rich street art scene.
Now, leading property developers are making their own contribution through the use of street artists and creatives on their developments.
One such example is Sydney-based Coronation Property, with the company engaging award-winning street art specialists Authority Creative and renowned artists Elliott “Numskull” Routledge and Shannon Crees to create an 80-metre long street art mural surrounding their latest development, Charlie Parker, located on the corner of Charles and Parkes streets in Harris Park.
The art deco-inspired building, designed by leading architects Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp (fjmt), will span 22 storeys and feature just 111 boutique apartments, as well as a terrace-level open-air pool and gym, and a ground floor residents’ library and lounge.
Envisioned as a destination for creative types, Charlie Parker will have art woven into its very fabric, with Routledge and Crees joining contemporary Sydney artists, Gillie and Marc, who created the Charlie Parker character – an iconic half man, half elephant sculpture – and interior stylist Shannon Vos, winner of 2014’s The Block: Glasshouse, in making a collaborative contribution to the development.
Routledge and Crees’ work represents the blending of the two artists’ very different styles to create a vibrant, large-scale painting that wraps the entire site.
Their graphic work, which came together over the course of a week in October and draws inspiration from the Charlie Parker character created by Gillie and Marc, will be one of the first ways in which the project will make an impact on the public – and so far, the response has been extremely positive, says Crees.
“The community has responded really well to the bold patterns and bright colours of blue, pink and yellow, with the artwork literally stopping traffic and heaps of locals engaging with us over the course of the week,” she explained.
Christopher Skyner, director at Authority Creative, says Coronation Property is leading the way in integrating public art with its developments.
“This is the third project that we’ve worked with Coronation Property on, following Liverpool’s The Paper Mill and Parramatta’s 8 Phillip Street, and I have to say, the Coronation team has helped to shine further light on our industry,” said Skyner.
According to Aras Labutis, director of Urban Transformations and Strategy at Coronation Property, street artists have a relevant voice in property development, both now and into the future.
“Inviting street artists to collaborate on our property developments has been hugely beneficial for all involved, and it has helped to reshape public opinion of this sometimes-undervalued art form,” said Labutis.
“There’s a big difference between street art and graffiti, which is the association most people make straight away, and this is confirmed by many major institutions now embracing street art and engaging companies such as Authority Creative to assist with activations.”
Prices for apartments at Charlie Parker start from $475,000 for a one bedroom suite, $567,000 for a one bedroom residence, $785,000 for a two bedroom and $898,000 for three bedroom apartments.
There are two four bedroom penthouses also available.
