_Knight Frank & ISPT win Best Property Marketing at PCA ACT Awards

Whilst we were up against very stiff competition, we are thrilled to announce that the Knight Frank Australia, ISPT ACT portfolio team came away with the Best Property Marketing award on the night.

It was extremely pleasing to witness such a strong turnout from both the Knight Frank ACT business and our largest client ISPT for this event in strong support for the two award nominations we were finalists for.

The award-winning project was Dream Gallery: People, Sun & Earth Celebrations at 2 Constitution Avenue, Canberra. Dream Gallery was a 12-month collaborative project between Knight Frank Australia & ISPT which launched Christmas 2019, showcasing artwork from dozens of Indigenous Australians who practiced art as part of their rehabilitation while they were detainees at the Alexander Maconochie Centre.

These artworks were, and continue to be, sold to the general public with all proceeds from the sale being set aside in trust for the artists upon release. Not only did this campaign demonstrate genuine partnership between landlord, building management team and our tenant customer, ACT Correctional Services, but it brought reconciliation to the forefront and demonstrates how the broader industry can integrate this into our day-to-day activities and bring our Reconciliation Action Plans to life.

David Witham, Indigenous Services Coordinator with ACT Corrective Services, says the Dream Gallery “maintained a keen interest amongst our Indigenous artists in custody to attend art classes and create quality Indigenous artwork” which, when sold, provides a “nest egg” on their release.

The paintings ranged from the symbolic to the subjective, but each offers insights into Indigenous culture and shares personal stories. In The Wandjina, for example, a water spirit travels through multiple campsites against a dazzling backdrop of blue and gold. Brown at the Bidgee captures the moment the artist first saw a wild brown snake while playing on a rope swing on the Murrumbidgee River. The traditional dot technique used in Stolen Generation depicts Indigenous children separated from their families, and, as the artist explains, “the black shows the deep hole with its emptiness and darkness left in our hearts, minds and souls”.

The Gallery also harnessed the latest in augmented reality technology, through an app called EyeJack, to enhance visitors’ viewing experience and emotional connection to the work. This immersive experience encouraged gallery visitors to reflect on complex themes of community, social isolation and inclusion, and magnified the message of reconciliation.

A very special mention and commendation to Sherice Kazzi, Natalie Stone, Stuart Green and the rest of the ISPT ACT portfolio team for their vision, tenacity and execution of this project. We are fortunate to have such a strong collaborative relationship with our client ISPT, and are grateful for the support and leadership shown by our Property Investment Manager, Heather Kent, in this initiative.

Read more about Dream Gallery here.

For more information, please contact:

Sherice Kazzi
Senior Marketing Manager, Placemaking & Communications
Asset Management Services

Sherice.Kazzi@au.knightfrank.com