Bridgetown Schapper Bequest, Helen Seiver, 2014. Image: Elements Margaret RiverBridgetown Schapper Bequest Stage 2, Bridgetown

  • Client: Henry Schapper Bequest
  • Stakeholders and partners: Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes
  • Role of Artsource: Art Consultants
  • Artist: Sandra Hill and Jenny Dawson, Rodney Laws, Helen Seiver, Russell Sheridan
  • Outcome: Four public art sculptures by South West artists gifted to the Bridgetown community
  • Artwork budget: $92,000 (Stage 2)
  • Completion date: November 2014
     

Four south west artist/teams were commissioned to produce artworks for stage 2 of the Schapper Bequest for public artworks in Bridgetown. The spherical form of Rod Law’s sculpture, Lifecycle, is made from found steel and steel-alloy materials sourced from the local area and also contains parts from Henry Schapper’s bicycle. The work is nestled in the Town Square near the railway line. Russell Sheridan’s enigmatic figure with dog, Francis, wistfully overlooks the Somme Creek.  Helen Seiver’s studied recreations of Jarrah, Marri and Blackbutt nuts in steel are positioned on and in structures from houses and furniture, hidden along a path winding along the creek. Sandra Hill and Jenny Dawson worked with the students of Bridgetown Primary School to create a colourful wall of self-portraits which can be seen by permission in the school grounds.

The Schapper Bequest artworks each comment on the future of the community in their own way and the community’s ability to renew and regenerate themselves into the future from the resources they have. Each of the artworks contributes to the casting of Bridgetown as a distinctive destination and positions the town as a place where creative innovation flourishes.



Bridgetown Schapper Request, Russell Sheridan, 2014. Image: Elements Margaret River