Developments in artistic practice beyond the traditional gallery environment have created a need for establishing a framework for artists who wish to practice within the parameters of the dynamic social environment of an industrial space.
The Pink Building Project by Jane Gavan in collaboration with the Bushells Coffee Company explores the question of the artist/industry relationship as expressed in an a light installation the glass factory is illuminated in a fluorescent pink shade. This work establishes a useful benchmark for the discipline in understanding the role of artists collaborating with industry, namely that artists can offer new ways of considering industrial spaces as culturally significant and the multiple benefits for the industrial partners of these collaborations and the community.
This research gives clarity to the role and relevance of artists to their industrial partners and deepens our understanding of this relationship and its creative and economic possibilities. Its value is demonstrated by the following indicators: the award of competitive funding by a Sesqui Centenary Grant, University of Sydney; inclusion in the curated exhibition on Interdisciplinarity, “Cross Media”, University Of Newcastle; the ABC television program; The Collectors; and inclusion as a case study in the ABC Radio National Master class series.