Client: Byron Shire Council NSW

Overview

Sited within Byron Bay’s Railway Park, ‘Memento Aestates’ is a love letter to Byron Bay: its beaches, history and communal memory. The artwork’s title is Latin for “remember the summers”, which speaks to the collective consciousness of the area, known as the ultimate ocean destination and the setting of countless unforgettable memories. Commissioned by Byron Shire Council and made in Brisbane, the form of the sculpture echoes the native pandanus fruit, while its detailing and expressed fasteners reflect the site’s railway heritage.

Images Credit: Andy Macpherson Photography

Goals

In 2018-19 Byron Shire Council upgraded Railway Park – with a redevelopment project by landscape architect Plummer and Smith, bringing the area to life into a space the community is proud of and an attraction in its own right. Public Art elements have been incorporated into the upgrade to express the town’s culture and stories. Public art installations are considered an opportunity to showcase local artwork and also provide an opportunity to express the key ideas behind the commission to locals and visitors alike.

Process

The commission was awarded in 2018 by Byron Shire Council through an open invitation to submit Expressions of Interest, followed by a shortlist. Veronesi collaborated with UAP and consulted with Byron Shire Council and landscape Architect Plummer and Smith, for the delivery of the proposal and fine tuning of aspects such as its engineered connections, materiality, visual language and location. Computational design was used to harness the expressive potential of mass customization and digital fabrication, and the work is constituted of 96 unique 6mm corten steel CNC cut elements with folds along two edges, bolted together using 2400 fasteners. Memento Aestates uses a regimented system to create and emotional, narrative form, challenging notions of technology and what it can achieve.