Burnie Markers, Magnets and Memories

Burnie Markers, Magnets and Memories

Burnie City Council

Inspiration

The City of Burnie has reinvented itself as a ‘City of Makers’ drawing on the strengths of its gritty industrial past, the beauty of its natural setting and the creativity of its community. In doing so, it has sought to add value to its tourism offer through the use of innovative story telling.

In 2005, the City called on Inspiring Place to collaborate with graphic designer Lynda Warner and architect David Travalia, to create a hierarchy of sculptural elements and signage that included: ‘markers’ to identify the entries to the City; ‘magnets’ to direct visitors to its attractions; and ‘memories’ to tell the story of the City from its roots in the Van Diemans Land Company to its creative vision for the future. 

Outcomes

The framework of ‘markers, magnets and memories’ was rapidly adopted by Council and implemented within 18 months of the project’s commencement. Entry markers were installed at three locations and 8 memory sites were established.

The team grounded its response to the elements in the industrial language of the place by selecting rusting steel, coloured panels and concrete shaped to resemble the deckled edge of newly printed paper to evoke the spirit of the city as an innovative centre that takes risks.

The Council, community and visitor response to the project was overwhelmingly positive - with locals expressing pride that the stories about their past and future were being boldly told.  The markers remain today as a welcoming sign that residents and visitors are arriving in a community that respects quality design as central to realising its potential as a thriving community of commerce and the arts.

Recognition

In 2007, AILA Tasmania awarded Burnie City Council and Inspiring Place its Local Government Greenspace Award for the collaborative, considered and layered approach to the development of the public realm expressed by this and a number of other jointly conducted projects

Photography: Jonathan Wherrett, Lynda Warner