Latest news with #BrendanMurphy
Irish Times
19 hours ago
- Automotive
- Irish Times
Bad driving
Sir. – I endorse what Emer Mc Lysaght says ( 'Shout out to the woman who trapped me in my car in Tesco car park ', June 6th). Twice in the last week, in two different car parks, access to my car was blocked by inconsiderate drivers. In the first case I had to wait for the driver's return. When he did eventually appear, I accosted him – I confess not too politely – about his lack of consideration. He became very aggressive and in no way was apologetic. In the second case, I had the car number paged in the shop adjacent to the car park. READ MORE After the second paging, the driver did appear, but again he was not apologetic. Also, while waiting for the driver to appear, a second car arrived and blocked in another car's access to its driver's door. Inconsiderate parking is a perennial problem. This is not just blocking access to another driver's car, but generally not properly parking – for example. not parking in the centre of a bay, in some cases taking up two bays. In general, a bit more thoughtfulness and common courtesy by road users – car drivers, cyclists, motorcyclists - would not go astray. – Yours, etc, BRENDAN MURPHY, Co Dublin.
Perth Now
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Cottesloe welcomes out-of-this-world spacemen art exhibition
Coming Out (Blue) Spaceman, artist Brendan Murphy and owner of Gullotti Galleries Paul Gullotti and Sitting Spaceman (Pink). Picture: John Koh Contemporary artist Brendan Murphy opened his blockbuster Australian exhibition debut in Cottesloe on Thursday, hours after unveiling a 7m spaceman sculpture he donated to Perth. The sculptor, painter and digital artist, who works from his Miami-based studio, launched his Life is Electric showcase at Gullotti Galleries, which is on display until July 10. The exhibition features 45 works ranging from vibrant graffiti-style paintings to carbon fibre sculptures of all sizes, including his renowned Boonji Spacemen, which represents embracing the unknown and the human desire to venture beyond. The opening comes after a custom-built Boonji Spaceman, titled Lightning, landed in Stirling Gardens outside Council House, where it will remain for the next year. SEE THE SOCIALS GALLERY BELOW Owner of Gullotti Galleries, Paul Gullotti, was overcome with emotion when talking about the moment he had secured a spaceman for Perth and a debut Murphy exhibition with help from former Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas. 'I just want to say something from personally from my heart about that moment,' he said during a speech. 'I've been in this business for 30 years now, what I've looked at today and what I've seen, I think I have to pinch myself, watching the smiles, seeing all of these people here, my phone hasn't stopped ringing. 'We need this kind of art here.' The new Boonji Spaceman artwork at Stirling Gardens. Credit: Riley Churchman / The West Australian However, the history-making landing of the spaceman has caused quite a controversy after it replaced the Ore Obelisk or The Kebab, which had been in place since the 1970s but was removed and put in storage in 2021. But it seems some people are warming to the idea of having the incredible piece after lining up to capture selfies to share on Instagram. Murphy said after making contact with Mr Gullotti and Mr Zempilas, he was hooked on gifting a sculpture to Perth. '(Mr Zempilas) sold me on Perth and his passion for the city and the city as a place that's looking to the future and there's a history of connection to space, so it was kind of a no-brainer,' he said. 'And that started a journey which, if I knew what it would have entailed, probably would not have taken that journey. But now that I'm here, everyone's been very nice and the city's gorgeous.' Murphy's spacemen can be seen in Knightsbridge, London and Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros baseball team in Texas. Murphy's art has been collected by celebrities including Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Ryan Gosling and Warren Buffett. Nadal's sculpture is a 2m tennis player called Vamos, which stands at the sporting legend's tennis academy in Mallorca. Murphy has also created a $25m diamond-encrusted statue for Saks Fifth Avenue in New York. He has held multiple exhibitions in the USA, Canada and Europe.
ABC News
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Boonji Spaceman sculpture unveiling angers fans of 'the kebab' in Perth
A gleaming blue, 7-metre-tall astronaut has been unveiled in Perth's CBD, taking pride of place outside Council House. Designed by US artist Brendan Murphy, the sculpture called Boonji Spaceman was a donation by the artist but City of Perth took on costs of transportation and installation, believed to be between $150,000–$250,000. The acquisition was championed by former Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas who stepped down from the council in March after being elected to state parliament. Mr Zempilas has long championed branding Perth as the City of Light — as it was dubbed by astronaut John Glenn in 1962 when the people of Perth turned on their lights to acknowledge his mission to become the first American to orbit the earth. It was that story and meeting Mr Zempilas that persuaded Murphy to donate one of his spacemen to Perth after the pair were introduced by gallery owner Paul Gullotti. "I'm not in the business of giving my work away. I'm one of the top-selling artists in the world," Murphy told Mark Gibson on ABC Radio Perth. "[Mr Zempilas and I] had a couple of great chats and Zoom calls, and Basil was really inspired by my work. "When that happens that means a lot to me, and this history of John Glenn identifying Perth as the city of lights, that really connected the dots for me." When the council voted to accept the donation last year Mr Zempilas said it was "an incredible opportunity" to bring a real tourist attraction that fit Perth's story to the city. But not everyone was pleased with the idea, particularly as the site allocated was previously occupied by another popular piece of public art — the Ore Obelisk, affectionately dubbed "the kebab". The 15-metre-tall sculpture was designed by City of Perth town planner Paul Ritter and erected to celebrate Western Australia's population reaching 1 million in 1971. Featuring different geological specimens of rock, it symbolised the expansion of mining in the state in the 1960s and 1970s. The sculpture was dismantled and placed in storage in 2021 following "engineering reports that it was unsafe and posed a risk to public safety", a spokesperson for the council said. Helen Curtis, who runs a public art consultancy, launched the "Save the Kebab" campaign to restore and bring back the Ore Obelisk. She was annoyed to find the council had allocated funds to the Boonji Spaceman. Now that the spaceman is in place she is continuing her campaign to reinstate the the kebab. "There is a huge groundswell of people from the arts, design, the history professions. "But also the broader Perth community and even people who worked in parks and gardens at the City of Perth are showing support for the campaign." Ms Curtis said the Boonji Spaceman was not unique to Perth, as Murphy had already installed versions of the sculpture in London, Oslo, Dubai and Antigua. The Perth version of the Boonji Spaceman is called Lightning. "This is not about parochialism at all," Ms Curtis said. "If the City of Perth is into Instagrammable tourism attractions then we can do that here ourselves. "Let's look after what we have first, right? That should be our priority. The Ore Obelisk — why didn't the City of Perth look after that? She said if the city wanted tourist attractions it should commission local artists to create original work. Murphy said he was surprised to learn that his spaceman had caused controversy. "I had no idea any of this existed until recently," he said. The artist rejected claims his work was not connected with the story of Perth and was simply a copy of work he had created elsewhere. "First of all I'm not an American artist. I'm an artist, and my role … is to bring people together and to try and create works that inspire people," he said. "Having put [the Boonji Spaceman] in other cities around the world I know the effect it has. "I've seen it bring people together and … in most cases, I think people will be proud because it's a very forward-looking, forward-moving sculpture. It's very contemporary." Murphy said the words written on the sculpture had been personalised for Perth, based on conversations with locals and research on the city's history. The words "ambition" and "City of Light" appear on the spaceman's chest. "I'm hopeful and pretty confident that everyone will come together once they experience the sculpture and I think they'll be proud of it," Murphy said. City of Perth said the Boonji Spaceman would remain in its Stirling Gardens location for a year before being moved to another, as yet unnamed, location in the city. It did not say how much it would cost to restore the Ore Obelisk but said it required significant work, including replacing all the conglomerate rock elements.
Perth Now
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Huge 7m-tall graffiti covered astronaut unveiled in Perth
The long-awaited BOONJI Spaceman was officially unveiled out the front of the Perth council house this morning, where it will remain for the next year. The 'show stopper' Spaceman was unveiled to the tune of Around the world by Daft Punk at it's temporary home at Perth's Stirling gardens. The 7m-tall blue spaceman, titled Lightning, is covered in graffitied words that former Lord mayor Basil Zempilas said reflected the city. 'Words like ambitious, friendly, beautiful, City of light, are represented.' he said. The Boonji Spaceman artwork at Stirling Gardens. Credit: Riley Churchman / The West Australian Mr Zempilas said that the spaceman was 'hugely impressive' and will be a drawing point for people in Perth. 'People are going to come and have their photos, Instagram this, talk about Perth and push Perth on their own channels,' he said. City of Perth Deputy Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds said that the Spaceman pays homage to the Perth City of Light origin story. 'Perth became known as the City of Light following American astronaut John Glenn's historic triple orbit of Earth in 1962, during which Perth residents and businesses left on their lights, shone torches to the sky and lit lanterns to make the city visible in space,' he said. 'BOONJI Spaceman is a tribute to our unique story and will no doubt become another must-see piece in the City of Light,' Cr Reynolds said. Renowned contemporary artist Brendan Murphy, who's based in the United States, donated the sculpture to the city. 'Art is an essential, it's not a luxury its something that brings us together,' he said. 'It's not something that I normally do, I'm not in the business of giving my art away. 'However when Basil and I met I felt his passion for the city and the people of the city. 'It's one of the best things I've done in a long time.' Contemporary Artist Brendan Murphy speaks at the unveiling of Perth's Boonji Spaceman. Credit: Riley Churchman / The West Australian A closer look at the Boonji Spaceman. Credit: Riley Churchman / The West Australian Perth has now joined six other cities across the globe to own a personalised BOONJI sculpture with the others installed in New York, London, Washington D.C., Riyadh, Mallorca and Oslo. Although the artwork was donated, The City of Perth budgeted $250,000 for the transportation and installation of the Spaceman. The transportation process of the 1,365 kg carbon fibre and steel giant took 12 months and involved engineers to ensure a safe trip from Miami. Despite local outrage and on-going petitions, the installation still went ahead. Followers of the social media profile, 'savethekebab' shared their frustration and disappointment online. '$250k that could have supported a local artist to create something more relevant that is unique to us,' one follower said. The sculpture will live where the sculpture Ore Obelisk once stood, but was uninstalled in 2021 due to safety reasons. It is currently in city storage. 'It's standing where Ore Obelisk stood for 50 years - a work that actually meant something to this city.' another follower said. The Ore Obelisk in its heyday. Credit: Museum of Perth Facebook / RegionalHUB Mr Reynolds said that a notice of motion was put forward to the city to reassess what to do with the art pieces currently in storage. Mr Murphy will be displaying his other artworks at his 'blockbuster' Australian solo exhibition at the end of May at Gullotti Galleries in Cottesloe. The BOONJI Spaceman will stay at Stirling Gardens for 12 months and is anticipated to find its forever home in another location in the city, which is yet to be confirmed.
West Australian
21-05-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
Basil Zempilas: Burswood Park racetrack is a project with no business case and a waste of $220 million
1. The spaceman has landed. Sixty-three years after John Glenn's historic flight on the Friendship 7 spacecraft, Perth has a glorious tribute to our city of light origin story. The 7 metre Boonji Spaceman, a gift to the City of Perth from American artist Brendan Murphy, stands tall on St Georges Terrace from today. Statue erection, like space flight, is difficult and at times dangerous work but that doesn't mean it can't be done. Just like the residents who turned their lights on for Glenn back in 1962, Perth's ability to pull off the remarkable should never be underestimated. 2. This week in Parliament I asked the Premier what is the point of community consultation if that community consultation is going to be ignored? That is precisely what is happening with Rita's racetrack at Burswood Park. This is a project with no business case, no community support and no transparency. The WA Liberals do not support this reckless, wasteful use of $220 million of taxpayer money on a project which simply does not stack up. 3. For 24 years Ken Gibbons has run the Community Cinemas at Burswood Park. He's been told he has to move the much-loved summer favourite to a new location, which he says won't work, to make way for changes associated with the ill-conceived racetrack. A racetrack prioritised over community, that's what's happening here. 4. Eleven weeks after the election, finally the big day has arrived for the five new members of the Liberal's Legislative Council team. Congratulations and welcome to Anthony Spagnolo, Michelle Boylan, Phil Twiss, Michelle Hoffman and Simon Ehrenfeld. See you at work members. 5. And with that, it's farewell and thank you to our retiring MLCs Donna Faragher and Peter Collier. Both have enjoyed magnificent 20-year parliamentary careers and both have made enormous contributions to the people of WA. We thank them for their service. 6. How they choose to operate in Canberra is their business, but the working relationship between the WA Liberals and the Nationals WA is as strong as ever. Our alliance is constructive, co-operative and united in a shared mission to hold the Cook Labor Government to account. 7. The best thing Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt can do for the people of WA is approve the extension of the North West Shelf development. Actually, there's one thing better he can do: approve it tomorrow. 8. Walyalup is a great name for the Dockers to adopt during and around Sir Doug Nicholls Round. But the club's name is Fremantle. Saturday's win against the Giants was a beauty but it shouldn't be the catalyst for a permanent name change as some are suggesting. 9. The Eagles black and gold WA Day jumper looks great. First in, best dressed, right? 10. Vale Adam Selwood. A lovely man, always so kind, he didn't deserve this pain. Nor do his family and friends. My sincere condolences.
