Artist Bill Henson’s first film to light up the lobby of a new Melbourne building

On one of Melbourne’s most glamorous streets, an artwork inspired by the changing seasons is taking shape.

The result will be acclaimed artist Australian artist Bill Henson’s first film production but the screening room will not be one of the city’s many galleries or art-house cinemas.

Instead, Henson’s film will animate the walls of the lobby in a new luxury apartment building, No. 85 Spring Street from developer Golden Age.

As a preamble to the commissioned work, the artist has developed a sketch series of Spring Street and the Treasury Gardens that will be published by the developer. Three have also been made into print works, which are hanging in the lobby of the display suite.

Developer-commissioned art is a growing trend in Australia and overseas. For the property groups, such collaborations are a way to elevate their offerings by harnessing the reputation and skills of the arts world, while creating more beautiful spaces for residents and members of the public to enjoy.  

Artists benefit financially, of course, but also receive greater exposure for their works, a chance to try new mediums and an opportunity to leave a large-scale, enduring impression on a city.

The Melbourne artist, whose work will reflect the effects of the changing seasons and the shifting light at different times of day, says he was intrigued by the project.

“To introduce art into the development conversation represents an enlightened approach and is all the more interesting for the challenges and potential it holds for all of those involved,” Henson says.

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The managing director of Golden Age, Jeff Xu, says developing properties provides a chance to create a legacy. “We see the synergy of art and culture as integral to development, with the future of cities dependent on our ability to curate buildings that serve their surroundings and those that come in to contact with them, rather than any ego,” Xu says.

No. 85 Spring Street comprises 145 apartments in a 39-storey building with architecture and interiors by Bates Smart.

The exterior is shaped by a series of repeating concrete forms that take inspiration from the European character of Spring Street, in particular the stonework of nearby Parliament House. Custom brickwork recalls the city’s traditional warehouse aesthetic.

Inside the residences, the sculptural geometry of the facade is echoed in repeating shapes and forms. Concrete, stone, marble and timber feature prominently in the homes, designed for discerning owner-occupiers.

Fabio Ongarato, managing director of the creative agency for the project, Fabio Ongarato Design, says the collaboration is reminiscent of the early 20th-century Bauhaus movement in Germany.

“In that era … designers took a holistic view of design by collaborating with artists and artisans, or by turning their hand to every aspect of a commission, encompassing furniture, rugs, ceramics etcetera,” Ongarato says.

One-bedroom apartments are priced from $698,000 to $1.15 million, two-bedroom apartments are $1.2 million to $3.2 million and three-bedroom apartments are $2.6 million to $8 million. Completion is expected in late 2020.