Cost of spheres 'exorbitant' says Orange Councillor Kevin Duffy

"But I do have a problem with the cost, it's exorbitant," he said.

Shadowline is a collaborative project by artists Julia Davis and Lisa Jones with the golden spheres positioned like pins on a map that traces the original path of Blackman's Swamp Creek, which now runs underground through Orange's central business district.

The work is part of the FutureCity Public Art project, a three-year program of murals and art installations around Orange's central business district.

Cr Duffy was on Tuesday blowing up about the $92,000 price-tag of the work, taking aim at his own council and the NSW Government which allocated a grant of $46,000 to the project.

"$92,000 for nine of them, which is roughly $10,000 each," he said adding he was also disappointed artists from outside Orange had been commissioned for the project.

"That is one of the issues but the other is, if you'd have said they cost about $20,000 I think the general public would have been a bit grumpy - but they should be outraged. You've got $46,000 of ratepayers' money.

"And then you've got $46,000 of state government money and you've got a housing crisis going on and you're putting money into this."

Cr Duffy said he believed the money would have been better used on road repairs and other maintenance work.

"I've had heaps of people complaining," he said.

OCC Communications and Engagement Manager Nick Redmond said the last council had been briefed on all the FutureCity Public Art projects, including the spheres, and passed the budget that funded the program.

"The nett cost of this project, $46,000, should be seen in the context of Council allocating $10 million for the CBD upgrade," Mr Redmond said.

Cr Duffy said he was on the council that approved the FutureCity project but claimed the cost of individual items had not been fully addressed.

"And that is an issue within itself," he said

"This is just a gross over-payment.

"The actual sheer cost of what it cost. [We could have had] interpretive signs, they could have had a photo on it and people could have actually seen [the creek and where it ran]."

Mr Redmond said 50 artists had responded to a call for expressions of interest to take part in the FutureCity Art project in 2021, coordinated by the Orange Regional Gallery.

"From those, 12 were chosen by a selection panel to participate in the development of the public art program. The selected artists are from Orange and further afield," he said.

A key element of the FutureCity upgrade of Orange's central business district, the public art project is about creating an attractive and engaging CBD, creating spaces where locals and visitors and local residents are encouraged to spend more time.

Three more spheres will be positioned when the next phase of the Lords Place upgrade is completed.

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