Bike riders in Torquay will have a front-row seat to pieces by renowned artist Jeff Raglus. The Aireys Inlet local has designed and hand-carved three bike stations, which are ready for use.
Located in Taylor Park and the corner of Cliff St-Bristol Rd, Jeff’s wooden sculptures – Stone Age Racks – sit alongside bike racks. Surf Coast Shire Council Mayor Libby Stapleton said the pieces reveal the nature of Torquay’s surf culture and connection to indigenous flora.
“Jeff has done an incredible job of using his pop art to transform what is usually a standard community asset – a bike rack,” she said.
“We’re honoured to display public artworks of this calibre. We’re particularly excited that they are ready in time for the peak visitor period, and look forward to seeing people of various ages take in the pieces while they ride around the town centre.”
Jeff is a contemporary artist who divides his time between music and visual art projects. He was the creative force behind the Mambo surf brand’s iconic imagery.
“(Council) wanted some bike racks but they wanted them to be quite artistic,” he said. “They could even lean more on the artistic side than the bike rack functional side. They wanted something that reflected the nature of the area, and possibly surf culture.”
Created with locally sourced materials, such as cypress from Aireys Inlet, the bike stations’ wooden sculptures were carved by Jeff at his Aireys Inlet home – first by chainsaw and lastly by chisel. Metalwork was crafted by sculptural metal worker and foundry owner Derek Johns.
A component of Council’s Connecting Torquay Town Centre project, the stations are designed to encourage fun, family-centred opportunities for connecting, recreating, socialising and shopping around Torquay’s town centre.
Council acknowledges Taylor Park’s land manager, Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority, for assistance throughout the design process. Council also acknowledges the funding received from Regional Development Victoria.
To watch how the bike stations came together: www.youtube.com/SurfCoastShireCouncil
