UNIT THREE - RESPONSE TO PLACE  

THE GOLD COAST

SEMESTER TWO 2021

Task: 

To present, in visual form - one or more facets of life on the Gold Coast inspired by the excursion to Surfers Paradise. 

 Students were asked to consider the people, the place, the environment.

The result is an individualised reflective response, with a depth of meaning, using the language of art.

Angus Robinson

'Morphed with the mind'

Photoshop

Digital print on paper

A3

The digital series “Morphed with the Mind” aims to challenge the viewers preconceived ideas of ”What is the Gold Coast.” Each composition aims to morph the subject with a natural or man made icon of the Gold Coast. The series explores the diverse worlds found within the Gold Coast; the surf culture, nightlife, cultural scene and the beach. By warping the

 man-made and natural formations with the culturally diverse individuals, Robinson alters the stereotypical perception of the Gold Coast, which is often seen as unsophisticated, cultureless and trashy. Instead he paints a picture of the rich multicultural community found within the Gold Coast. Robinson utilizes subtle maps in the background to give a geographical reference point to his audience. The individual figures are a metaphor for the diverse and multicultural identity that is emerging within the Gold Coast.

 

Daniel Statham 

 “Everyone can change.”

 Digital print 

2021

A3 paper 

 

 

No one lives a perfect life. We are all faced with challenges and roadblocks along our journeys, with some challenges more damaging than others. Yet, majority of society are always so quick to judge when other people are facing their personal challenges in their life. More often than not, people base a person’s worth off their appearance. 

My artwork explores the different perspectives people have on 

Surfers Paradise and the local people surrounding the area. 

Both artworks portray their own message of the strong stereotypes often displayed through Surfers Paradise. Using black outlined people I demonstrate how people are treated differently based of their passed roadblocks and challenges. Each background relates to the dwelling stereotypes associated with each type of person. This world is filled with judgment and jealousy of our neighbours, yet sometimes those people forget about themselves. 

Finn Allman

‘Deserted Paradise’

Digital Art: Adobe Illustrate

2021

A3 Paper

The global pandemic COVID-19 has drastically changed lives completely, especially the streets of Surfer’s Paradise. A once bustling and booming area has completely come to a halt as the corona virus has shut off  domestic and international borders - as people are forced to stay inside. This artwork is a vintage travel poster which explores the themes of travel and the consequences of the pandemic while advertising Surfer’s Paradise as a possible travel destination. The artwork displays a sign in the bottom left with the words ‘Re-Opening Soon’. This clearly insights hope to all viewers, as vaccines are quickly rolling out to combat the disease. 

The design of the poster exhibits the beautiful beach and bright sunny skies that Surfers’ Paradise has to offer, while showing off two local surfers carrying their boards demonstrating the strong surfing culture which this special place has to offer.

Vincent Wilkie

'Before and Now'

Photoshop

Digital Print 2021

A3

Before and now is a photoshop designed piece that explores the past and present. 

Using traditional Aboriginal dot artwork, it is clearly shown that the distanced part of the tram symbolises the past and how this once was the land owned and controlled only by the Aboriginal people of Australia. The view of the current Gold Coast covers the front side of the tram. This side has travelled through the Surfers Paradise sign and is continuing forward. I used this to show that we are currently filled with a world full of concrete, buildings, and construction. The direction of the tram is to show that we are constantly going forward into new creations, inventions, and new ways, however, when looking at the direction that 'princess' is facing - it is clear that he wants to go back to the old ways and forget about the destruction that the new is causing to our world.

Samuel Sweetland

‘Out of Business’

Colored Pencil on paper

2021

359 x 190mm

The future in life is unknown. Therefore, we as humans must learn to quickly adapt to changing factors within the unknown future. The transition of such a popular area; the Gold Coast is contrasted to a place where it feels eerie to walk around or just to do normal day to day activities. This displays the devastating effect the unknown can cast upon the world. We see popular tourist attractions such as the jet boat and aqua duck unused, whilst jet skis jump waves implying the fun that should be being had. We are left with the attractions that provide income to the Coast fade away due to the destructive impact of COVID-19, which seems to be a never-ending journey. A bright future awaits ahead though, which is represented throughout the large variety of colors and patterns, which implies to people to keep your head up and move forward.

Jack Raff

“The Old and New” 

Colored Pencils on Cartridge Paper 

2021 

297 x 420 mm 

 

My drawing is called “The Old and New”. I got my idea of this from Surfers Paradise, and I wanted to show how covid has affected the Gold Coast. I chose this style because of the bold and bright colours, that represent normal, fade to   grey - current times. This shows the impact and how we had adjusted to Covid. 

Stuart Place

'Surfers Destruction'

Coloured Pencil 

2021

A4 

 

The earth is getting hotter and the ice is melting, meaning that certain places will soon be submerged in water. This artwork portrays a time in the near future where the ice has melted to a point where the Surfers Paradise sign is partially submerged underwater. This piece of art symbolises the terrible fate that we will succumb to if we fail to act on climate change. The shark represents the fear and dread that surrounds the issue of climate change while the objects protruding out of the water give the viewer a visual representation of what is to come in this hypothetic dystopian future.

Dan Maurice

‘Frozen In Time’

Sketch on Paper

2021

690mm x 490mm

 Throughout history humans have always looked to make things bigger and better. This artwork shows the dramatic change made to a pub over the years with the right side showing the pub when it was first built in the 1960’s and the left side

showing the recently renovated pub in 2019.

 The once wooden structure has developed into a quite modern and stylish, streamlined building. This new style in architecture truly shows how we have changed as a society. The graphite pencil side represents a black and white photo which is typically associated with historical photos from yesteryear. Black and white images were the only way photos could be developed in the past and even today with modern photography, back and white prints are usually used to create an image that is designed to be timeless. On the other side coloured pencils were used to capture the effect of lights and colours the new building has. The two buildings show mans interaction with the Gold Coast.

Wally Hacon

“Surfers Paradise”

Colored Pencils on Cartridge Paper

2021 

297 x 420mm  

Rubbish is always a recurring subject in today's life impacting all people and animals surrounding. The surfing, marketing and partying culture at 'Surfers' really reflects on the rubbish that is distributed around the area. Each piece of rubbish is reflected upon each culture in Surfers Paradise to the partying and drugs side of things and the food and shopping side of things. The ibis surfing is a representation of the amount of bin chickens on the Gold Coast and Surfers Paradise reflecting on rubbish once more. 

The Ibis surfing also reflects upon the surfing culture.

Etienne Chabert

‘Beach wave’

Acrylic paint on canvas 

2021

61 x 46cm

Surfing has had a major impact on my life whilst growing up. Ever since I’ve been a young kid I’ve always surfed with my brothers and friends. Due to this I believe it has shaped me as a person. To me Surfers Paradise is exactly as it is called. A ‘surfers paradise’. Kilometers of open beach so you can decide where you want to go.  Often the beach and Surfers is where I end up spending lots of my time. Due to this it will always be a special place for me. This wave explores the idea of the purer side to Surfers Paradise in the beach and waves. 

Sid Bradnam

“Fear through the valleys”

Colored pencil on paper

2021

594mm x 420mm

The Gold Coast Hinterland provides a journey back in time. This was a time where environmental destruction and bright colors did not rule the beach side haven. The hinterland and in particular Springbrook Mountain has remained largely free of over urbanization throughout Gold Coast rapid influx of people over the past 30 years. This piece explores the message of urbanization and the destruction that it causes. The crocodile, prominent in the drawing, represents the urbanization of the Gold Coast, creeping the mountain-side, leaving a wake of modernisation, urbanisation and pollution in its trail.  The crocodile's mouth is filled with the image of an idealistic Gold Coast, pretty beaches, picturesque sunsets and a sea of artificial colors. However, the crocodile is using these distractions to hide the destruction that it has caused, represented by the trail of plastic bottles that lay behind.  The obsolete wasteland is the part of the Gold Coast that isn’t seen in the pictures, but the long-term effects that are seen by environment. 

Peter Bousgas

Untited

Coloured pencil on paper

2021

A3

Australia has been known for several things, last 200 years ago an abundancy of British convicts who were racist and used the aboriginal peoples as slaves compared to the last 60-70 years being one of the most multi-culturalistic and diverse countries in the world. The thought that the “land down under” was home for aboriginals for ten of thousands of year is special and that’s something taken for granted. They were custodians and preserved the land which we now find ourselves on. It's so important that the future generations remember who first lived on the land. The artwork contrasts how the aboriginal has the same amount of responsibility for the construction of cities, villages, waterways, highways etc. The bottle represents what Surfers Paradise is about with each image signifying what Surfers Paradise is mostly known for. Aboriginal people are becoming less and less of an identity/ethnicity each year with the new Australian migrants building bigger, higher not thinking about what was once someone else's land that was stolen.

Euan Russell

‘Ink icons’

Posca pen on surfboard

2021

5.4foot x 32inches

Ink is permanent, something that deems to be permanent must be iconic or hold some meaning. The Gold Coast is full of iconic features that make it unique. Tourists often visit these sites with Surfers Paradise at the top of their bucket list. My artwork explores the deeper culture of the Gold Coast. Each tattoo portrays an iconic feature on the Gold Coast. The Q1 followed by the Surfers Paradise sign serves as the heart of the piece. Beyond the tattoos lies the background that resembles the backbone of the Gold Coast, laid back surf culture where the beach stood as the center of the Gold Coast. With all the beauty comes a cost the small McDonald’s cup that can be sign throughout the piece resembles a symbol for the litter problem in the Gold Coast and particularly 

Surfers Paradise

Zen Pizzinat

'Believe'

Felt pen on paper

2021

A3

My artwork takes a fictional approach. I wanted to get creative and make something that I would never see in my life, well at least I'd hope so. I wanted to let my creative side out and almost take the 'piss out of octopus' by tweaking the looks and making it look so unrealistic. The title and image of this piece was inspired by Ripley’s believe it or not store in Surfers Paradise.  

Stephen Eardley

‘COVID vacations – the holiday souvenir’

Mixed media – Digital print on paper and cotton ( wooden stand ) 

2021

500 x 370 x 100mm

COVID has had a direct impact on the Gold Coast – the tourist precinct of Australia.

The once bustling Surfers Paradise strip now has a ghostly presence with few tourists visiting. 

With constant changes to rules and regulations about mask wearing this artwork ironically explores the idea of designer face masks as 'souvenirs'. The designs reflect iconic imagery of the area overlaid with directive signs – such as the covid logo, the crossed circle or an outlined hand. 

I chose to make two versions – one in paper to mimic the disposable masks and the second in fabric for a longer wearing mask. The loops have been created using fine colourful ribbon reflecting the holiday feel and bright colours associated with a holiday on the Gold Coast. 

The work is displayed on a stand such as a point of sale in a shop to carry the theme.