Cope St., Alexandria, Sydney


The “Cope Street Parasite” public art project is a site specific interaction with Cracknell and Lonergan’s new apartment block in Waterloo. The apartment block design is elegantly modernist with simple rectilinear geometry. Lonergan often delights in strong primary colours which find expression in this scheme with strong reds to the base of the building. This design strategy links a social agenda and engagement with the streetscape and includes an undercroft café. The sculpture works both with the building and the scale of the street. Its site specific character relates directly to the building and its context in the following ways:

The sculpture meets the building on its own terms. Together they make a new synthesis and give new meaning to the term site-specific. Every parasite structure reacts in a different way to its context and the nature of the built form. It also reacts to the public program associated with the building.

The shapes of the sculpture are derived from spheres and ovoids, sliced to create façade shells. This contrast of geometry enhances and draws attention to the building. The sculpture is more fluid and expressive than the building and in keeping with the nature of the street. One highlights the other.

The scale of the work is in keeping with the scale of the building. No parts of the work protrude above or below the building structure.