Katie Stackhouse’s ‘Sky Vessels’ has been chosen as the winning concept for Launceston’s landmark Northern Gateway project, following a tight community vote that saw more than 1000 people participate.
The City of Launceston Council endorsed the artwork after it received 50.85% of votes, narrowly defeating Lola Greeno’s ‘Kanamaluka Kanalaritja’ design during the four-week voting process.
The installation will create a striking entrance to the city, positioned on the Midland Highway’s Southern Outlet near the Pipeworks Road overpass.
Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood said the artwork would be a defining addition to the city’s public landscape.
“This artwork is bold, creative and a real reflection of Launceston’s spirit – it captures who we are and proudly marks our city as the gateway to the North,” Garwood said.
“It reflects our grounded stories, our history, our landscape, our sense of community and that spark of creativity that’s always been part of who we are.”
Stackhouse, a Launceston-born interdisciplinary artist, described her sculptural forms as “vessels for environmental knowledge, merging material and poetic sensitivity with conceptual rigour.”
“It would be an honour to contribute a permanent sculptural work to the Gateway that poetically reflects the nuances of Launceston and the surrounding environments,” Stackhouse said before the endorsement.
The project is fully funded by the State Government’s Northern Gateway Improvements Program and will be delivered through a partnership between the City of Launceston and Urban Art Projects.
Final engineering and design work will now commence, with the installation scheduled for completion in late 2026.
