The Bayswater Station and Turnback project is a key METRONET project, with Stage 1 completed in September 2023. The upgraded Bayswater Station will be both a thorough fare for commuters and a significant destination in its own right.

Embedded within a vibrant town centre, home to a vocal and highly engaged community, it is critical that the Station and precinct design is sensitive to this unique context. Plans by Hassell look to improve and enhance connections across the railway, allow for easy access for public transport, pedestrians, and cyclists, and respond to the town centre character and context.

Public art has an important role to play in this precinct, with the potential to reflect community narratives and themes through site specific commissions, enhance amenity and aesthetics, and create moments of interest for daily commuters and visitors.

A well-researched Public Art Plan, Sense of Place Statement and procurement plan is required to deliver best practice public art, in line with the significance of this project and to meet the community’s expectations. These documents set out the directions, curatorial themes, sense of place and individual detailed opportunities for public art at Bayswater Station.

element’s Arts and Culture team is an integral part of the Evolve Bayswater Alliance team, working closely with key project stakeholders to deliver the public art commissions for Bayswater Station. Like all METRONET station projects, this project is informed by the Metronet Public Art Strategy and Gnarla Biddi Strategy.

We worked with Evolve Bayswater Alliance design team, led by Hassell, to define Sense of Place statements and undertake a public art opportunities analysis. These were then formalised into a Public Art Plan for the station.

Our team, in close liaison with PTA and METRONET, then developed a bespoke expression of interest (EOI) process, tailored to ensure emerging, local, Noongar and established artists were encouraged and empowered to apply for the opportunities at Bayswater Station.

The management of the expression of interest process included developing an online portal for submissions, facilitation of selection panels, liaison and coordination with key stakeholders including PTA, METRONET, and the City of Bayswater.

After garnering significant interest in the project through the EOI process, our team have since facilitated the shortlisting of artists for opportunities and managing the Artwork Selection Panel. We have been working closely with key stakeholders to develop the artist briefs and reviewing contract documents.  

All artworks are now in the process of being delivered on site. A highly diverse mix of artists have been contracted, from emerging to established, traditional public artists to graphic designers.

The selected artists are: Joanna Brown, Dr Nandi Chinna, Jade Dolman, Leon Ewing, Emily Jackson, Andrew Frazer, Peter Farmer Design, and Nathanael Whale.

• A bespoke, best practice expression of interest to creatives for government projects, resulting in over 100 submissions including from local artists, Noongar artists and established creatives
• A shortlist of exceptional artists and creatives for each artwork opportunity
• A pathway mapped for the next stages of the process, developed in consultation with PTA, METRONET, and other stakeholders
• Timely installation of artworks on site

• An in-depth Public Art Opportunities Analysis
• A Sense of Place Statement and Public Art Plan for Bayswater Station
• Over 100 submissions from creatives to a bespoke expression of interest process
• 25 artists shortlisted
• 8 artist brief documents developed
• Facilitation of an Artwork Selection panel including Terms of Reference and other documentation
• 7 artists contracted, and the ongoing management of artwork commissions