Time for companies to spend more on art?

Press, 13 June 1984, Page 29

Time for companies to spend more on art?

By

NEILL BIRSS

Turners, Ltd, is spending $9OO to bring a touch of the “garden city” atmosphere to industrial Sydenham. A 150-metre mural is taking shape on the south wall of the Turners printing factory in Disraeli Street. It has nine panels, depicting from left, rain drops, puddles, growing water lilies, and butterflies. In the ninth panel the wing of a butterfly, now huge, will break out of the frame of the panel? Across the top of the mural in giant letters will be the words, Christchurch Clean and Beautiful. The mural is one of the first projects under the Civic Pride Campaign, begun in March. It has adopted the theme of Christchuch Clean and Beautiful. For the Turners mural, the council supplies a designer, and the Arts Employment Council and the PEP scheme provide the unskilled and skilled labour, under the mural designer, Mr Gary Collins. His group has already completed a number of murals in the city. Turners has put up the money for materials such as paint and brushes, and, of course, the wall. Mr Alan Turner, the secretary of Turners, says the firm was given the right to approval of the design. When a mural was first proposed for the wall, some time ago, a Kaikoura landscape was the suggested

theme. Happily, the proposal lapsed. Two week-ends ago, 40 to 50 venture scouts added their contribution, working on the mural and the ground in front of it as a civic project. If there is one spot on the project, it is the misconception that arises about the PEP workers. They appear at the wall and disappear frequently, leading to some derogatory comments among local workers about how hard they work. But the scheme organisers say the painters are working on a number of projects concurrently, and they paint the wall only when the weather is right: the concrete must be in a suitable temperature range for the paint. When it is not they work elsewehere. Mr Alan Turner is enthusiastic about the mural and keen that other businesses should consider helping improve their buildings under the scheme.

He gives credit to the

campaign group for making the approach. “Business people need motivating if something is to be done that is not measured in terms of profit,” he says. He feels other firms will support the campaign. Before the mural work began, the wall was an eyesore, big, censoring blocks having been daubed over graffiti. The obliteration of the vandals’ words had led to a worse mess than the graffiti, says Mr Morrie Turner, the manager of the printing division of Turners.

Janette Borrette, the executive co-ordinator of the Civic Pride Campaign, says the arts are one way of achieving the campaign aim of having business enterprises clean their buildings and make them attractive. Street furniture, sculpture, and landscaping were examples of what could be done, and there was no reason why some projects should not create art inside buildings.

In some Western countries there are levies on businesses to provide art work to lift the environment, Janette Borrette says, adding that there is room for much more use of art by business in Christchurch.

“Until recently businesses were more comfortable supporting sport events with the aim of getting television and radio coverage.. .icivic and community activities have had marginal support. “But like many overseas businesses New Zealand companies are beginning to see the benefits of a partnership with a community or arts group. Most important businesses see their roles as active citizens — putting something back into their city.”

If businesses and other groups work with the campaign, Christchurch can become more culturally and aesthetically exciting, she says, which will help to attract more tourists as well as improve the quality of life in the citv.