City of Perth Misleads Public on Public Art Decisions - Part 2

We're following up on our previous post, releasing our formal responses to the City of Perth’s answers to public questions tabled at the Council Meeting on 25 March 2025. Our review reveals a consistent pattern of obfuscation, misinformation, and policy non-compliance by the City in its handling of major public artworks.

The City has failed to:

• Follow its own Public Art Policy CP4.8 in the acquisition and placement of the mass-produced Boonji Spaceman sculpture;
• Consult advisory groups or undertake required cultural engagement, particularly with Whadjuk Noongar representatives;
• Provide transparency on procurement processes, budget reserve transfers, or artwork relocation costs;
• Provide transparency on procurement processes, the quotation from Gullotti Galleries or payment to the gallery and artist;
• Uphold best-practice standards in the conservation, significance assessment, or deaccessioning of key local artworks.

In multiple instances, the City has made misleading claims or withheld information that would normally be disclosed under principles of good governance. These failures are not isolated but part of a broader trend of sidelining expert advice and prioritising political optics over cultural integrity and community-led decision making.

We urge the City of Perth to release all relevant documentation, reinstate proper governance processes, and genuinely engage with cultural stakeholders before further damage is done to Perth’s public art legacy.

Our responses follow for public and media scrutiny.

#savethekebab

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Council Meeting 25 March 2025

Responses to the Administration’s Answers

Question 6 of 24

Q6 Boonji Spaceman Installation
Why was the Boonji Spaceman acquisition approved despite it being a mass-produced artwork, inconsistent with Public Art Policy CP4.8?

A6 The artwork aligns with Policy CP4.8 Principle 3(f), showcasing international art and relating to the "City of Light" identity.

R6 The answer does not address the fundamental concern: the Boonji Spaceman is a mass-produced artwork and, as such, does not comply with multiple criteria and principles within the City of Perth's own Public Art Policy CP4.8. The Administration's decision to proceed with this acquisition reflects a deliberate breach of the following policy criteria and principles:

Policy Criteria and Principles Breached:

• 3(h): Respond to the unique characteristics, needs and opportunities within each of the six distinct neighbourhoods in the Perth local government area.
  The artwork has no site-specific relationship to Stirling Gardens or the broader Perth context. Its relevance is forced via a tenuous link to the "City of Light" narrative, which does not adequately address this policy requirement.
• 5: Management and delivery of public art is guided and assisted by the expert advice of professionals who are members of the following panels/groups: a. Culture and Arts Advisory Group, b. Elders Advisory Group.
  There is no evidence that these expert panels were engaged meaningfully prior to the acquisition. This excludes community and cultural expertise and disregards the governance framework set out by the City.
• This criterion is explicitly failed.

• 8: The City encourages the integration of meaningful public art within private development and recommends commissioning in alignment with industry best-practice.
• Acquiring a non-original, mass-produced artwork rather than commissioning a site-responsive piece fails to meet best-practice commissioning models outlined in both national (VAPAA, NAVA) and international public art frameworks.
• This criterion is explicitly failed.

• 12: The lifespan and the City’s commitment to the maintenance of any work of public art will be established at the point of acquisition or commission by written agreement.
• There is no publicly available documentation confirming a defined lifespan or long-term site strategy, and the 12-month temporary installation suggests a lack of pre-planning. No report was undertaken to assess the lifespan, durability, or ongoing maintenance requirements of the work.  
• This criterion is explicitly failed.

• 13(d): Compliance with all relevant codes and regulations applicable to works in the public realm and the site and intended use of the work.
• The work was placed in Stirling Gardens, a heritage-listed site. While a Heritage Impact Assessment was prepared, public documentation confirming full compliance is lacking, particularly in regard to consultation with Elders and Whadjuk representatives.

• 13(e): Artistic excellence, as befits work displayed in a capital city.
  The work was placed in Stirling Gardens, a heritage-listed and culturally significant site. While a Heritage Impact Assessment was prepared and statutory referral to the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage and the Heritage Council occurred, public documentation confirming full compliance with broader ethical and cultural standards—particularly those outlined in the NAVA Code of Practice—is lacking.
• The NAVA Code of Practice for Public Art explicitly requires consultation with Traditional Owners and Elders when placing artworks in culturally significant spaces. Stirling Gardens lies on Whadjuk Noongar Country, and there is no evidence that meaningful engagement with the Whadjuk Aboriginal Corporation or City of Perth’s Elders Advisory Group was undertaken prior to site selection or installation.
• Furthermore, NAVA calls for artworks to be site-responsive and contextually appropriate, a standard that a mass-produced commercial sculpture like Boonji Spaceman fails to meet.
• Therefore, while heritage compliance may have been met under statutory planning requirements, the acquisition does not comply with the broader professional and ethical standards expected under best practice public art governance, as outlined by NAVA.
• This criterion is explicitly failed.

• 13(f): Quality fabrication, physical integrity and durability appropriate to the work’s intended lifespan to minimize maintenance or conservation requirements.
  The work’s suitability for long-term public display—particularly in Perth’s outdoor climate—has not been substantiated.
• There is no publicly available documentation confirming a defined lifespan, durability assessment, or a maintenance strategy aligned with the City’s public art maintenance program.
• The decision to install the work on a temporary 12-month basis, with no confirmed permanent site, further indicates a lack of planning or due diligence regarding material integrity and conservation needs.
• No engineering, fabrication, or conservation report has been provided that evaluates the work’s structural performance, material resilience, or adaptation to local environmental conditions.
• Given these omissions, this criterion is explicitly failed, undermining the City’s obligations to ensure cost-effective stewardship and responsible public art acquisition.
• This criterion is explicitly failed.

• 13(h): Relevance and appropriateness to site, the City of Perth and its community of residents, businesses and visitors.
• The artwork does not reflect the stories, identity, cultural character, or social history of Stirling Gardens, nor does it align with the distinctiveness of the surrounding Cathedral Square precinct.
• The City has claimed relevance via a connection to the 1962 John Glenn orbital flight and Perth's “City of Light” identity. However, this justification is historically inaccurate and misleading: Council House, which the City cites as the symbolic anchor for this connection, was not completed until 1963, and therefore played no role in the original lighting event of 1962.
• The placement of Boonji Spaceman appears to be driven by logistical convenience or promotional opportunity rather than authentic cultural or site relevance.
• As such, this criterion is clearly not met, and the installation conflicts with both the intent and the letter of CP4.8's requirement for contextual alignment with place, history, and community.
• This criterion is explicitly failed.

• 13(i): Sustainable outcomes, considering immediate and future costs, including costs associated with any impacts on the site or its management.
  Installing a large-scale, international sculpture on a temporary 12-month basis, with no confirmed permanent site, results in significant sustainability concerns, both financial and environmental.
• The City has not publicly disclosed:
• A second confirmed location for the artwork after its temporary placement in Stirling Gardens.
• The additional costs associated with deinstallation, transport, storage, or potential reinstallation elsewhere.
• These omissions demonstrate a lack of forward planning, contrary to policy expectations that artworks be acquired with consideration for long-term stewardship and lifecycle impact.
• The import and relocation of a work of this scale also raises environmental concerns, including emissions associated with international freight, crating, and multiple handling events, none of which have been addressed in public documentation.
• Without a site plan, sustainability analysis, or transparent costings, this acquisition fails to meet the requirements of Policy 13(i) and exposes the City to reputational and operational risk.
• This criterion is explicitly failed.

• 13(j): Authentic and original works of ethical provenance.
• This work is neither authentic (in the sense of being unique to Perth) nor original (as it exists in multiple global locations).
• The Boonji Spaceman series by artist Brendan Murphy encompasses both physical sculptures and digital assets (NFTs), raising questions about the authenticity and originality of the work proposed for installation in Perth.​
• Physical Sculptures: Murphy has installed several large-scale Boonji Spaceman sculptures globally:​
• Hodges Bay Resort & Spa, Antigua
• Minute Maid Park, Houston, USA
• Oslo, Norway
• London, United Kingdom
• Digital Assets (NFTs): In October 2021, Murphy launched the Boonji Project, a collection of 11,111 unique digital Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) on the Ethereum blockchain. The project achieved over $15.5 million in primary sales. ​
• The NFTs feature avatars inspired by Murphy's Boonji Spaceman series, incorporating elements from his physical artworks.  
• Given the multiple existing installations and the extensive NFT series, the Boonji Spaceman intended for Perth is neither unique nor original to the city.
• This criterion is explicitly failed.