Terry Summers

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I first used waste cardboard to make sculpture in an environmental exhibition in 1998 which was about deforestation, 80% of the felled timber is pulped to make paper and cardboard, therefore cardboard was used as an artistic protest against this.

I found that cardboard was so strong and versatile that I have continued to use it since, this culminated in larger than life size figures over 2 metres tall called "Crusaders" in an exhibition in 2001.

When approached by Citimark to make an iconic figure for their new 40 level apartment building in the CBD of Brisbane Qld, I decided, in conjunction with "Urban Art Projects", to construct a 3.55 metre tall, Crusader type figure, first made from waste cardboard then cast in aluminium.

His name was to be Felix, which means happy and fortunate, an obvious choice as the building is also named Felix which is located in Felix Street, Brisbane.

In the concept drawing stage he soon lost his Crusader looks and became more of an androgynous character with a certain ambience and charisma, talking away on a mobile phone, gesturing with his free hand, (as one does), whilst leaning against a corner column at the intersection of Mary St. and Felix St.

Due to council restrictions of location, ie easement, stairs and footpath he has to stand quite upright, however he still seems to maintain a casual posture.

His aluminium finish gives him an aura of strength and modernity which is linked to the silver strip of the roof line in the vicinity of his location, at the same time his collar, tie and jacket lapels belie the tunic which is more like a medieval chainmail coat, his shoes are also olde worlde which only adds to his kinky charismatic persona.

Iconic of the building's dramatic modernity in size, structure and material, the figure of Felix is simultaneously friendly, congenial, approachable, and reminiscent of traditional values.