By Juliano Oliveira
Artists are being recruited to give an aesthetic appearance to traffic signal boxes around Brisbane suburbs.
As part of the “Artforce Initiative”, a community art project focused on local artisans, Brisbane City Council has opened registration for interested applications.
Each year, 70 boxes are at the disposal of artists to work on. Over the past two decades, the program housed more than 5000 talents and allowed the painting of 2200 traffic signal boxes and 50 Energex pad mount transformers.
“Painting our traffic boxes has been a tradition since 1999, when Artforce cleverly transformed once graffitied traffic signal boxes into drive-by art galleries,” Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said.
“What’s special about this project is that Artforce is available to everyone of all ages, no matter their level of artistic skill or experience. All you need to apply is a little creativity, a passion for Brisbane and an idea for the design of the traffic signal box you’d like to paint, and we’ll help with the rest.”
“Some notable artists have made their mark over the years, including the creator of Laser Beak Man, Tim Sharpe, as well as a range of local organisations and schools,” City Planning and Economic Development Chair Krista Adams said.
“This year, Artforce will be coordinated by locally-based consultancy Artfully, which has a wealth of knowledge and experience in delivering permanent and temporary public art across Brisbane.
“We can’t wait to see what amazing Brisbane-inspired designs are put forward this year and to watch them go from concepts to real-life urban masterpieces.”
To apply to paint a traffic signal box, email info@artforcebrisbane.com.au or visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au and search ‘Artforce.’