Location

Methods

Adding a mural to public space has the potential to enhance the location’s aesthetic, so defining the area for each eco-artwork along the trail is a vital consideration for us to refine. We hope to see not only local but also global communities involved in this campaign, but our focus should be on situating the artwork trail in the GBR region. Through a literature analysis, we will make suggestions about criteria for locations to display these murals based on their proximity to the reef and popular tourist destinations.

Findings

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Eighteen local governments in the region are members of GBRMPA’s Reef Guardian Council program which spans approximately 1400 km from the southernmost council of Bundaberg to the northernmost in Cairns (GBRMPA, 2020c; GBRMPA & Reef Guardian Councils, 2018). All eighteen districts should be offered the opportunity to participate in the eco-mural trail campaign.

Research shows best practises for the locations of artworks are in places where ‘people come to visit, study, play, congregate and discuss matters that may relate to the content of the mural’ (Kang Song & Gammel, 2011). Having a public space available for individuals to socialise is vital to each individual's social and psychological health as well as the health for the community as a whole (Nguyen et al., 2019). Businesses that back up to popular public spaces allow the murals to be on full display and gain the most attention (Kang Song & Gammel, 2011). Adding these murals in popular locations known for amassing crowds will help bring awareness to the eco-mural and emotional affinity. With almost 2.1 million visitors travelling to the GBR each year (GBRMPA, 2019b), these eco-murals could potentially be seen and geo-tagged by millions of people.

When choosing a location for each artwork, we would recommend to the councils to consider the idea of ‘placemaking’. The Project for Public Spaces (2016) suggests that in order to create a great place, in addition to being social, the following must be present: a site that is easily accessible and connected to other areas, a place that encourages participation from the people that are visiting, and a place that is warm, safe, and restful. Keeping these criteria in mind, the councils should find an area in their town that currently or potentially meets these conditions. Community members in each region should help determine the best location for the mural as they are the experts in knowing where the places are in the community that are “comfortable, sociable, easily accessible, and fun” (Project for Public Spaces, 2016).