jenny holzer projects poems on 8 chifley square's steel columns in sydney

jenny holzer projects poems on 8 chifley square’s steel columns in sydney
(above) I stay (ngaya ngalawa) , 2014
photo by brett boardman

projected onto one of the 19-meter-tall steel columns at 8 chifley square in sydney is ‘I stay (ngaya ngalawa)’ by american artist jenny holzer. the artwork features songs, poems, stories and other texts by aboriginal australians and torres straight islanders. the digital display — trademark of holzer’s creative oeuvre —  runs on an electronic display fitted to a four-sided beam, taking an endless course around the structural beam. ‘the text I chose was influenced by a people’s history, but the themes, such as love and survival, are universal.’ holzer explains of the contect ‘the first person voice in much of the writing makes the artwork alive and immediate, accessible to many. writing by aboriginal and torres strait islander authors was most compelling; it illustrates that what happens to individuals and groups, happens to society. the human themes here make this public space integrate and honor the personal’

the writing is integrated into the architecture of the site
photos by brett boardman / courtesy of 2014 sydney design awards

stretching above passers-by
photo by tim carr

the streetscape is altered by the monumental artwork towering overhead
photo by brett boardman

two views of text running across the beam
photos by brett boardman

the constantly moving digital screen projects poems and stories
photo by brett boardman

project credit:

I stay (ngaya ngalawa) , 2014
LED sign with blue, green & red diodes
text: ‘keeping records’ from cordite poetry review by john muk muk burke, © 2000 by the author
used/reprinted with permission of the author;
‘in the dormitory’ from is that you,ruthie? by ruth hegarty, © 2003 by the author.
used/reprinted with permission of the author
permanent installation: 8 chifley square, sydney © 2014 jenny holzer, member artists rights society (ars), NY