The Shape of Things to Come: Evolving wayfinding

Adapting public art and wayfinding to an evolving place

In 2018, I created a public artwork titled The Shape of Things to Come for West Crown Street in Wollongong. It was always intended to be temporary - a five-year pilot that responded to a streetscape in transition. But, as the name suggests, this was never just an artwork about the present. It was about possibility, about evolution, and about building something that could come with us as the place itself grew and changed.

This year, more than seven years on, the work was given a second life.

In the workshop back in 2018

A pilot wayfinding project with lasting potential

Back when the project began, West Crown Street was waiting - paused in anticipation of a new development touted to transform the precinct. The community’s voice was clear: they wanted colour, places to sit, improved lighting, and clearer wayfinding between the train station and Crown Street Mall. The initial installation was designed with those needs in mind: highly visible triangular pillars offering direction, moments of rest, and a vivid, engaging presence that added character to a gritty but loved urban strip.

But what made this project different from many "temporary" artworks was that it was built to last. Durable materials. Strong fabrication. A design language rooted in place. These choices gave it longevity - and, as it turns out, adaptability.

Artworks built right in the first place can take on new forms and roles. A five-year pilot can serve its time - but well-constructed designs can be futureproofed, ready to be adapted for evolving uses. In summary, temporary doesn’t have to mean disposable.

The Team installing the Wayfinders late 2018

The value of layering, not replacing

When Wollongong City Council approached me in 2024 with a brief to refresh the work, I didn’t need to start again. The original pillars were still structurally sound. More importantly, they still had meaning - they still pointed the way, still marked the rhythm of the street, still offered small moments of clarity and pause.

What changed was the context. The surrounding businesses had shifted toward more refined food and beverage offerings. The area had developed a small but growing night-time economy. The overall tone had shifted from anticipation to activation. And so, the response needed to shift too.

Rather than remove and replace, I chose to layer. The original towers remained but were re-skinned with a new pattern - an overlay that brought a refined geometry and fresh palette to reflect the precinct’s evolution.

This artwork didn’t lose its original composition. It simply gained a new skin to wear with the changing times. The structural core of the piece remained intact - but its dialogue with the place, and with itself, evolved. Through the design process, we found a way to let the original pattern shine through the new skin. The new layer doesn’t replace the old - it relies on it. That’s the nature of urban life: the past shapes the present, and the present builds upon the past. This artwork demonstrates how older forms can inform, enrich, and become part of what’s next.

A second life for the Wayfinders

Small changes, big vision

This process illustrates a key principle in ARTSCAPE’s work: that small, strategic changes can keep a larger vision alive. In many public realm projects, the desire is for transformation - and rightly so. But transformation doesn’t always come from grand gestures. Sometimes, it comes from tuning the detail, from updating what’s already there, from recognising the value of continuity as well as change.

Making small changes that align with a bigger vision allows the work - and the place - to stay in motion. It’s about maintaining momentum without discarding what has meaning.

In the case of The Shape of Things to Come, the new skin aligns with the area’s growing elegance. The apertures in the new cladding create a dance of light and shadow by day, and a warm, glowing presence at night. The colour palette is now more sophisticated, supporting a streetscape that has matured, but still holds onto its eclectic charm.

The Shape of Things to Come

The Wayfinders in daily life

The procession of Wayfinders

A title that predicted its future

In hindsight, the name The Shape of Things to Come feels prophetic. It’s as though the artwork knew it would return - that its story wasn’t finished. That it would be part of the community’s journey a second time around.

It reminds us that artworks don’t have to be static. They can evolve. They can respond. And if they’re designed with care, they can continue to serve their purpose - sometimes in ways we can’t anticipate when we first draw the line or weld the form.

The Shape of Things to Come continues to act as a wayfinder, a resting point, and now, a symbol of renewal. It’s a case study in how adaptive public art can support the changing character of a place - while still holding space for its memory.

The progression of Wayfinders - Connecting the Station Precinct with Crown Street Mall

A temporary project… still shaping the future

As of now, The Shape of Things to Come is still considered a temporary artwork. Whether it remains part of a future full streetscape renewal is unknown. But in the meantime, it serves a clear role - not just in function, but in philosophy. It offers a quiet provocation:

What if we treated temporary projects as testbeds for longevity? What if we designed for flexibility, for growth, for re-use? What if we saw public art as a partner in place evolution, not just a snapshot in time?

This project may have been built for the short-term - but it’s helped shape a much longer conversation.