Artwork Description
Day In, Day Out is intended to be a twenty-first century response to the history of formal public art, and equally addresses the task of placing an artwork in a modern, environmentally-sensitive building.
– James Angus
Day In, Day Out is a large-scale, painted aluminium sculpture that stands at the top of the broad curving steps in front of the entrance to the 1 Bligh St office tower in Sydney’s CBD.
The sculpture is a complex network of three-dimensional ellipsoidal shapes, supported on three tall columns. The inspiration for the shapes was drawn from the unique design of the building itself. The sculpture is painted with geometric patterns in earthy tones of red, brown, orange and yellow that contrast sharply with the surrounding grey, urban landscape.
Day In, Day Out was commissioned in 2010 by the co-owners of 1 Bligh St during development of the building, with the intention of adding “a new focal point for this key part of the city, enhancing the streetscape at the heart of Sydney’s financial district.”
The requirement of the commission was for the artist to create a work that was “monumental, rigorous and bold, whilst also welcoming and approachable.” The aim of the artist, James Angus, was to incorporate key aspects of the Bligh St development into his design – including its environmental sensitivity, unique design characteristics and welcoming public spaces:
From inside the building, the sculpture will gently frame views of the city and play to the building’s natural strengths by drawing its meaning from the same sources: sunlight, shadows and a modern approach to placing art and architecture in an urban landscape.
