General News
19 May, 2024
Telstra silo art outrage
A bid by Telstra to take advantage of the popularity of the region's iconic Silo Art Trail has been dismissed as a PR stunt and blasted for its "corporate greed".
A bid by Telstra to take advantage of the popularity of the region's iconic Silo Art Trail has been dismissed as a PR stunt and blasted for its "corporate greed".
Australian Street Art Awards is inviting community groups and councils to "collaborate" on the painting of the Telstra X Starlink Silo or water tower - which will include the Telstra logo.
The organisation is seeking expressions of interest from rural communities to nominate an appropriate site for the "epic mural".
It says the project aims to "beautify our rural landscapes, foster community engagement, and promote tourism".
But Damian Modra, director and regional tourism ambassador for the Australian Silo Art Trail - tore strips off the telco for its attempt to "leverage" the Silo Art Movement.
"It is not art. It is a graphic designed advertisement," Mr Modra told Wimmera Mallee News.
The project features an image of a spaceship, and will be branded with the Telstra logo and the marketing slogan: "From space to your place."
Australian Street Art Awards is promoting the competiton on its Facebook page on behalf of a marketing agency employed by Telstra.
"To celebrate Telstra’s partnership with Starlink they would like to give back to a rural community by creating a tourist attraction with a silo or water tower mural," the awards flyer says.
Expressions of interest must include letters of support from both the site owner and the relevant rural city or shire council.
Telstra says it will obtain formal approval for the work to be carried out and fund the painting process.
However, Mr Modra said the company was not supporting the community and was instead using the project "as a unique billboard to solely promote Telstra".
"Telstra are not donating money to a local community to have their silo or water tower painted and become a work of art," he said.
"It will not represent the community or become a tourist attraction. It will not join the silo art trails or be promoted on our platforms."
Mr Modra said Telstra had missed a great opportunity to give back to the regions with its "corporate greed".
"I do not like that corporations like Telstra want to leverage the Silo Art Movement without actually giving back to the local communities," he said.
The Telstra X Starlink Silo or water tower is proposed to be painted by July.
The image is described as a "fun take that plays with the context of where it appears, creating something akin to a optical illusion making it seem like there is a spaceship interacting with the silo".
It will be branded with the Telstra logo and slogan for the first few weeks "to highlight Telstra’s involvement".
Starlink is a satellite network owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX company.
The Wimmera Mallee Silo Art Trail is described as "the country's biggest outdoor gallery", comprising innovative artwork at Sheep Hills, Brim, Sea Lake, Albacutya, Patchewollock, Lascelles, Nullawil, Rosebery, Arkona, Goroke, Kaniva, Rupanyup, Murtoa, Walpeup, and Horsham.
Renowned street artists from Australia and across the world have transformed the region's wheat silos with images celebrating individuals and communities.
Artist Guido van Helten's depiction of four anonymous, local farmers on a silo at Brim, was the first in Victoria, and the second added to the national trail, in January 2016.
More recently, artist Smug put the finishing touches to a reworking of the Horsham silo art on Hazel Street.
His artwork celebrates the life, achievements and hardships of Wotjobaluk Country man Yanggendyinanyuk, alongside a black cockatoo adorning the adjacent flour mill.
To see more of the Wimmera Mallee Silo Art Trail visit www.visitvictoria.com/see-and-do/road-trips-and-itineraries/silo-art-trail-touring-route