Government Office, Denham - Department of Finance

PERCENT
FOR ART
SCHEME
Department
of Fisheries &
Department of
Environment and
Conservation,
Denham Office
2012
The new joint offices for the Department
of Fisheries, Department of Environment
and Conservation and Volunteer Marine
Rescue in Denham overlook the Indian
Ocean in a stunningly beautiful part
of Western Australia. Environment and
history are subtly linked with
contemporary architecture through
the integrated jarrah screen artwork
on the west façade of the building.
For artist Andrew Stumpfel, an intensely
emotional response to the spectacular
environment was inescapable. He
sourced jarrah for the screen from the
southwest of the state, inserting into
it old jetty and boat timber from the
Denham salvage yard and small, carefully
crafted jewel-like pieces of glass.
His approach to the artwork was to balance
the scale of the vast land and seascape with
the intensity of local colour and vitality.
The inlays, while appearing to be small
abstract paintings, are realistic renderings
of patterns taken from fish markings, sea
grass, mother of pearl, and flowers. Fish
references specifically include key local
species - with a bias for the juvenile stage.
The jarrah screen is deeply weather
etched, especially on the southern end,
where the winds blow all day. The 300
linear metres of timber will softly grey over
time while the glass inserts will maintain
their intensity for hundreds of years.
The glass was produced in a purpose built
studio in collaboration with glass artist
Peter Bowles. Devising the glass effects
to represent the shimmer, intensity
and teeming of life in the Shark Bay
area was, Andrew said, a particularly
rewarding phase of the project.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Artists:
Andrew Stumpfel
with Peter Bowles
Title:
Shark Bay Screen
Architect: Woodhead
Art Coordinator: Three-Dimensional
Design & Maggie Baxter
Photographer:
Clients:
Andrew Stumpfel
Department of Fisheries
& Department of
Environment and
Conservation
Delivery Manager: Christopher Rologas
Department of Finance
Building Management
and Works
GOVERNMENT OF
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Government of Western Australia
Department of Finance