One of the world’s most followed sustainable design events, the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI), has announced that its next international design competition will be sited in Melbourne.
Run in partnership with the Victorian government’s Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, the competition will be open to artists, designers, architects, landscape architects, scientists, engineers and others to submit proposals for large-scale, site-specific public art installations that are capable of generating clean energy for a site in Melbourne.
The competition forms part of the Victorian government’s $146 million Renewable Energy Action Plan, which was launched by former United States Vice President Al Gore on 13 July 2017. The plan outlines twenty-three actions to advance Victoria’s renewable energy sector – the LAGI competition is included in Action Thirteen, “Supporting important artistic and cultural sustainability events.”
According to the LAGI, design proposals should transform public spaces into productive landscapes for green energy and “inspire the public to be a part of the [clean energy] solution and help Melbourne grow sustainably.”
Founded in Pittsburgh by artist Elizabeth Monoian and her architect husband Robert Ferry, the LAGI’s goal is to accelerate the transition to post-carbon economies by providing “models of renewable energy infrastructure that add value to public space, inspire, and educate,” as well as providing equitable power to thousands of homes around the world.
The LAGI’s slogan is “renewable energy can be beautiful.”
The initiative has staged four competitions since 2010, with sites in the United Arab Emirates, Freshkills Park in New York, Copenhagen and Southern California.
The Melbourne design brief is currently being drafted with local partners to align with the strategic plans and cultural context of the site, the city, and the region.
The competition will be launched in January 2018 with submissions due in May 2018.
