8th Scape Public Art

October 3 – November 15, 2015

Rob Garrett, BFA (Elam, Auckland) and MA (Otago) is a specialist in commissioning public art projects and is highly knowledgeable about all aspects of public art policy, planning and implementation. He has a range of experience leading and managing art organisations and building visionary programmes to empower teams of artists throughout the world. His numerous public art advisory projects include a city-wide public art policy for Auckland in 2013 and a 10 year public art plan for Hamilton in 2010. His former professional roles include Senior Manager at Creative New Zealand, Leader of New Zealand’s Pavilion Project for the 2005 Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art and the Founding Chair of Arts Festival Dunedin.

As Managing Curator for SCAPE 8, Rob Garrett will lead the overall curatorial strategy development, select artists, match artists to sites and participate in planning processes to shape concepts throughout the stages of development towards commissioning. SCAPE 8 will see the installation of a public art walkway spanning over more than 21 sites, which will feature eight new large-scale and ambitious artworks along with the legacy and existing artworks that SCAPE Public Art has already realised, an education and community engagement programme and a series of public events.

The SCAPE 8 public walkway will be available for viewing over a period of six weeks from 4 October to 15 November 2015 and aims to not only activate and enliven publically accessible spaces but also add a high level of creativity and artistic expression to Christchurch’s rebuild landscape. Rob Garrett will work with local, national and international artists and industry partners to produce eight new temporary artworks that will be installed during SCAPE 8, six of which will be by local and national artists and two by international artists.

Image: Rob Garrett. Courtesy SCAPE Public Art