Pride Square Beacon
Sculptural installation for World Pride
Inner West Council
Trigger’s self described brief was to bring ‘joyous visibility’ to Pride Square, located in the centre of Newtown in Sydney’s Inner West, and enhance this public space as one where everybody is welcome. The installation provided a backdrop to Inner West Council’s World Pride events in the Square, and continues to play a role in its day to day life.
The stacked cubes concept for the Pride Beacon is a three-dimensional geometric interpretation of the ‘Progress Pride Flag’ and references the ‘Square’ in ‘Pride Square. Sibling cubes notionally ‘migrate’ from the central tower and come to rest in many places in the urban environment. These cubes act as breadcrumbs leading the way to the central beacon and provide amenity for people to dwell and sit.
The Pride Square beacon was unveiled by the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as part of the Inner West Council’s World Pride launch at Pride Square on the 11th February 2023.
Individual cubes nestle into the landscape at various points in a playful arrangement.
The brightly coloured cubes contrast with the gritty urban landscape of Newtown.
The project was re-conceptualised from a rainbow pathway installation to a highly visible, three-dimensional presence for the square.
The installation comprises a series of elements. Timber seating clusters, designed by Environmental Partnership, scattered through the square and embedded into stairways echo the informal ambiance and function of the milk crate, providing places to sit, watch and gather both during World Pride celebrations and after. The square forms intersect at different heights to create varied opportunities for sitting, gathering and watching.
The project provides an addition to the landscape architectural record of lower budget temporary interventions, that have addressed a range of objectives from creating identity and character to activating tired and inactive spaces.
Bringing visibility to, and acknowledging, LGBTQIA+ residents of the Inner West area in a prominent place is a key social benefit provided by this project. Additional seating and lighting make the square more functional, safer and a place to dwell, providing amenity for all users, especially people experiencing homelessness.