Public Art
The City of Kingston is committed to developing a Public Art Program which reflects and celebrates our history, stories, cultures and sense of place through ephemeral, temporary and permanent public art.
Council endorsed a Public Art Policy in July 2023 which is accompanied by a Placement Plan and was supported by extensive community and industry consultation which can be seen in the Consultation and Survey Feedback Reports. To view the public art policy and placement plan, please visit our Strategies and Policies page. If you have identified a location for public art, please complete and send Council the Public Art Application Form (167KB)
Explore Public Art in Kingston
Contemplative meeting-place Bell Sculpture (2024)
The Beauty Spot, Carrum
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The ‘Contemplative Meeting-Place’ sound sculpture by Anton Hasell features a simple and elegant stainless-steel structure and parabolic bronze bell that invites visitors to play sound patterns on with their hands, individually and in groups.
The participatory nature of the artwork seeks to draw community together in a shared creative play experience and encourages connection through personal imaginative responses. Evoking the nearby rippling sea, the bell emits a clear single pitch at C# 138.6 Hertz reminiscent of the famous Buddhist “Om” to provoke a meditative gateway for listeners into thoughtful contemplation.
In response to the surrounding landscape and the vision for the new memorial park as a peaceful and relaxing environment for investigation and discovery of the Park’s littoral biome, the sculpture adds to the multi-sensory natural beauty of the seaside landscape and offers a renewable site experience, that is, the site experience is changeable in some important way at every new visit people make to the site.
About the project
In 2023, Council sought to upgrade The Beauty Spot Park in Carrum as part of Council’s commitment to providing quality parks and open spaces for the whole community. The Beauty Spot Park covers an area of 1.2 acres and offers residents a great space for various outdoor recreational activities including boating and rock fishing along the river. Recognising and retaining historical attributes of the site, the sculptural artwork plays a key role for local communities both in ANZAC day and Remembrance Day memorial services.
Artist Statement
“People have always enjoyed the calm place where the river meets the sea, and have commemorated those who have fought and died for their country. This special bell-sculpture is intended to add to the mediative, contemplative quality of the park. Bells have important cultural meaning to diverse cultures around the world. This harmonic bell, invented in Australia, has the clearest pitch salience of any bell in the world. Tuned to the C# pitch of 138.6Herts, reputedly the sacred ‘Ohm’ Buddhist pitch, the bell’s gentle, pure voice and long duration from a patting hand will compliment views of the ocean’s distant horizon, and the park’s ambient beauty. Here is a public-space site experience that calls all community members to join together in the shared joy of reflection and remembering.” – Dr. Anton Hasell
About the artist
Dr. Anton Hasell explores the use of both traditional and digital tools in the design of bells, interactive public-space installation, sculpture and printmaking.
Through his practice Anton seeks insights into the mysterious and subliminal truths of the Australian landscape whose rhythms operate as a resonant and binding experience linking each of us to our country and to one another. He creates new forms that seek to tune into the resonant frequencies of the Australian landscape and to manifest its ambient sonorities. Inventing new forms, new sounds and joyful public sites has encouraged communal playfulness and shared creativity amongst viewers.
Bells have, since the Bronze-Age, served community connectivity and wellbeing. The use of advanced digital engineering design software and contemporary manufacturing technology has allowed the artist to invent new bells for new uses within innovative urban design perspectives that enhance ‘place-making’ and ‘wayfaring’ site experiences for improved liveability in built ecologies.
Baanj Dayang (Rakali) Wilam Sculpture (2024)
Mentone Lifesaving Club, Mentone
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Baanj Dayang (Rakali) Wilam is a sculpture by Indigenous artist Aunty Kim Wandin and Christine Joy featuring a pair of local rakali (water rats), playfully emerging and returning to the water. Ripples etched in concentric circles symbolise the rakali’s eternal connection to the place, as a significant entity in Aboriginal culture. This public artwork celebrates 'Indigenous Cultural Heritage' together with 'local marine life and biodiversity of Port Phillip Bay' at the redeveloped Mentone Lifesaving Club.
The work features a combination of bronze, glass and concrete. The design team worked with Wathaurong Glass, an Aboriginal glass company to design the glass elements which feature Aboriginal iconography depicting rakali footprints and journey lines. The bronze rakali are life-like and life-size presenting the rakali’s interactions with their aquatic environment.
About the Rakali
Baanj dayang is the Woi-wurrung name for aquatic animal, commonly known as the rakali (water rat). The rakali, Hydromys chrysogaster, means 'water mouse with golden belly'. The word 'rakali' itself is from Ngarindjeri language which is the land around the Victorian/ South Australia border, including the Coorong.
Rakali are one of Australia's largest rodents, characterised by webbed hind feet, white-tipped tail, long blunt nose, thick waterproof fur, and a tail that acts as a rudder when swimming. They can be found residing in rock crevices in marine and freshwater habitats across Australia, avoiding the more arid environments. As an apex predator, the rakali plays an important role in stabilising their local, natural ecological systems, signifying resilience and regeneration. The main threats to the rakali now are habitat alteration, swamp drainage and predation by introduced animals such as cats and foxes. Ongoing protection, enhancement and care for the surrounding coastal and marine areas will help keep the Rakali’s habitat thriving.
The rakali represents many concepts including playfulness and fun. This is depicted within Baanj Dayang (Rakali) Wilam as the rakalis emerge and return to the water to chase one another.
About the artists
Artists Aunty Kim Wandin and Christine Joy collaborated on this project with Public Art Specialist James Voller (Collide Public Art).
Aunty Kim Wandin is a Wurundjeri Woirurrung woman living in Healesville in the Yarra Valley. Her traditional name is Wandoon which means ‘spirits of the water’. Aunty Kim is a basket and eel trap maker collecting reeds and other fibre plants on Country. The art of using reeds to make eel traps and baskets is a tradition handed down to her by her Nana Ollie who was taught by Granny Jemima at Coranderrk. Aunty Kim has worked as a Consultant and Cultural Educator, exhibited her work across arts organisations and her art has been acquired by private and state collections.
Christine Joy brings design, curation and community engagement expertise to the team. As a specialist in community programs and projects Christine’s prevailing passion is Aboriginal culture and its role in transforming social and environmental ecologies.
Collide is a public art initiative based in Melbourne. They aim to merge multiple fields and practices with sculpture as they seek to redefine how sculpture can be both socially and architecturally integrated. Collide works with a range of artists on both temporary and permanent public artworks, using the latest digital and architectural technologies.
During the concept development stage, the artists collaborated with Palawa artist Amanda Wright to incorporate sketches of the Rakali into the design of the sculpture.
About the Project
There is ongoing support for the depiction of Indigenous cultural heritage along the Bay by the local Kingston community. During the feedback collected on the ‘Your Kingston Your Say’ platform in July and August of 2020 for artistic themes to be explored along the Bay Trail, ‘Indigenous Cultural Heritage’ featured amongst the most popular topic supported, along with the ‘The local marine life and biodiversity of Port Phillip Bay’.
Learn more about Baanj Dayang (Rakali) Wilam
MORDI VILLAGE WALL TO WALL FESTIVAL (2024)
Mordi Village Industrial Precinct
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Australia's beloved street art festival, Wall to Wall, has transformed the Mordi Village Industrial Precinct streetscape with an explosion of colour and world class murals by Australian and international artists scattered throughout the precinct.
The Wall to Wall Festival, hosted across the weekend of the 26-28 of April 2024, transformed Mordi Village revitalising the streetscape. Delivered by the award-winning street art collective Juddy Roller team in partnership with local traders and the Kingston City Council, the event saw thousands of visitors enjoy market stalls, open studios, family-friendly activations, painting workshops, guided street art tours, DJs, gourmet food and beverages, and iconic art.
The full line up of high profile Australian and international artists included George Rose, Adnate, Smug, Blo, Fred Battle (Zoer), Justine McAllister, Filthy Ratbag, Tommy Day, Drez, Jason Parker as well as Mordi Village resident, Kyle Brightside.
This exciting project will leave an exciting legacy that will encourage local and destination visitation to Kingston.
Learn more about Mordi Village Wall to Wall and check out all the featured murals.
ABOUT JUDDY ROLLER
Founded by Shaun Hossack in 2012, award winning street art network Juddy Roller has developed into a well-established community of passionate individuals. Working with the best street artists in Australia and around the world, Juddy Roller delivers high-quality art installations, from community engagement to project delivery. Well-known for curating street art festivals and delivering high profile projects in the public realm, Juddy Roller aim to make the world more colourful, vibrant and engaging, one wall at a time. For over 15 years Juddy Roller has contributed to a large number of successful community-driven projects including the Wall to Wall Festival in Benalla, The Silo Art Trail and the Colour Tumby Festival in South Australia.
flight paths by melanie caple (2023)
Elder Street South Reserve, Clarinda
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Drawing attention to local animal and floral species of the area, artist Melanie Caple creates a sense of discovery for residents and visitors to the newly upgraded Elder Street South Reserve.
The large scale mural celebrates the natural landscape of Kingston through the use of vibrant colour, form and subject. The design incorporates snow gum sprigs, hop wattle, hardenbergia violacea rosea, galahs, Victorian common heath and a noisy miner bird.
This area of Bunurong Country is associated with gathering, resting and ceremony for Bunurong peoples. Gatherings and ceremony are associated particularly with circular images, reflecting the form that these ceremonial grounds took. The five apical ancestors of the Bunurong nation are extremely significant and are represented by five deep blue dots or waterholes and five birds (galahs) in acknowledgement of the connection that First People’s have to the landscape. (With permission granted to the City of Kingston and to the artist). The thread of blue running through the design champions the importance of the local rivers and the bay, creating a sense of harmony and togetherness.
The two works connect to each other, carrying the themes from one mural to the next.
This significant public art project celebrates a series of parks set aside by the State Government for non-urban use to help combat climate change and improve liveability. Elder Street South Reserve is a unique 4-hectare former landfill site that is undergoing rehabilitation as part of Council’s project that will eventually see more than 300 hectares of land transformed into linked open spaces for the community to enjoy. Completion of this first part of the Green Wedge in 2023 will include active recreation, picnic areas, a nature play space and the planting of indigenous trees and plants throughout.
MELANIE CAPLE
Artist and curator Melanie Caple examines our relationship with the botanical world around us with a focus on immortalising a sense of place. She uses native flora, colour and avian species to activate walls and canvases to draw attention to the fragility and vibrancy of our landscape. Melanie has exhibited in various group exhibitions and has staged solo exhibitions around Melbourne and in Gippsland and was the recipient of the annual Dick Bishop Memorial Award. She has been included in the artist line up for both the Urban Canvas Melbourne Mural Festival and Frankston’s Big Picture Festival.
Work, Play, Connect by hayden dewar (2023)
Jean Street, Cheltenham, 2023
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Work, Play, Connect is a large scale public art mural located on Jean Street, Cheltenham.
Inspired by historical artefacts belonging to local residents from the City of Moorabbin Historical Society, artist Hayden Dewar depicts objects and activities that symbolise connection to place through local history and the natural environment. Antique farming equipment reference original market gardens, a bike once owned by a local resident in the early 1900’s alludes to the prevalence of bikes as a mode of transport in the area. The kettle, a tool of bringing people together to connect over a “cuppa” and the intertwined fishing line embody connection.
The characters in the design are known as “Solarquins” and represent the search for a harmonious existence with nature as well as finding sources of creative energy. Here two of them are playing instruments (eucalyptus flower trumpet & branch guitar) and the third is sitting on a shell fishing. The shell and the fisherman are a reference to both the nearby bay and also the history of fishing villages not far from Cheltenham.
Amongst these elements is an array of local native flora and fauna representing a connection to the natural environment, this includes a Red browed Finch, Ring-tailed possum, Wattle & Eucalyptus branches and flowers, a Crimson Rosella and Silvereye (small native bird).
hayden dewar
Hayden Dewar is an accomplished mural artist. His signature style incorporates imaginative imagery and native Australian flora and fauna. Themes explored through this imagery include the environment and conservation, myth, and the human condition. Hayden is passionate about transforming and enhancing public spaces through mural art and thrives on the positivity and public engagement that results from letting his creativity off the leash to roam around the urban environment.
kingston heath reserve public art commission (2023)
by Angharad Neal-Williams
Kingston Heath Reserve
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Kingston City Council supported Suburban Rail Loop Authority to deliver a mural at Kingston Heath Reserve in Cheltenham. Artist Angharad Neal-Williams highlights community connection, nature, and the market experience. The artwork includes native flowers and birds and is designed to blend into the natural environment.
The artwork activates the façade of a shipping container that is used for storage for the Kingston Farmer’s Market, which was recently relocated to Kingston Heath Reserve, Cheltenham. The market is a fresh produce and farm origin food products market that has been trading since October 2004.
Funded by Suburban Rail Loop Authority, the mural celebrates the notion of community and people enjoying the surrounding environment around them, in harmony in a shared space. The mural responds to the active use of the surrounding reserve as well as the nearby Kingston Botanic Gardens through imagery of local flora and fauna. Glimpses of people in the design appear, subtly hidden and interacting with the environment, to portray the community using and enjoying time in Kingston Heath Reserve.
ANGHARAD NEAL-WILLIAMS
Angharad Neal-Williams is an Illustrator, Muralist and Live Drawer based in Melbourne. Her work combines strong line drawing with controlled colour and shape to create thoughtful, fun and conceptual drawings. Using a bold and warm colour palette, her style is distinctly optimistic and focuses strongly on the importance of composition and line.
A LITTLE PIECE OF HOME (2023)
By Carla Gottgens
Follett Road, Cheltenham
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The Kingston Arts and Cultural Development Team worked with public artist Carla Gottgens, who installed public art elements on four electrical poles and activated the concrete footpath and walkways as part of the Follett Road Streetscape upgrades. This striking and interactive design, titled ‘A Little Piece of Home’, references the history of the site and Follett Farm, where fence posts are presented as a puzzle.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
Kingston is home to many small shopping precincts, which provide meeting places, personalised interactions with traders and a strong sense of local identity. The Follett Road Shops in Cheltenham are one such precinct and were identified as a key priority area for rejuvenation works.
As part of the Follet Road works, local traders and working groups identified the desire to see a public art component to further revitalise the shopping precinct for residents, whilst fostering civic pride and strengthen connection to place for the local community.
In consultation with students from Cheltenham East Primary School and the Follett Street local traders, Carla designed and installed public art elements on four electrical poles and activation of the concrete footpath and walkways outside of the Follett Road shopping strip and the seated areas.
This project is supported by the City of Kingston.
GAME INSTRUCTIONS
Download the My Little Piece of Home game instructions (243KB)
raindrops and sunbeams (2022)
by Deb McNaughton
Hazel Pierce Reserve in Mordialloc
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Kingston Arts worked with local artist Deb McNaughton on a new sculpture as part of the Bay Trail Public Art Project. The sculpture is located along the foreshore at Hazel Pierce Reserve in Mordialloc.
The Raindrops and Sunbeams sculpture features seven arched posts which symbolise a rainbow. The title refers to the two natural elements required to form a rainbow, with raindrops representing the struggles and sadness experienced as a direct result of the pandemic and sunbeams representing the light and hope at the end of the tunnel. Together these elements create a rainbow, while the wording on each post refers to the seven values that make the Kingston community shine so bright. The artist’s intention is to create a visually stimulating landmark whilst representing the strength, diversity, positivity, and spirit of the Kingston community now and into the future.
As part of this project Council worked with The Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (BLCAC) to incorporate seven key community values into the sculpture in Indigenous language, these include:
Respect – King, Chief – Ngarnurngate
Leadership – No Fear – Murrun
Honesty – Truth – Kopin
Kindness – Help, Aid, Assist – Kunar
Happiness – Delight – Pert-Burn-Min-Un
Gratitude – Love – Ge-A-Nbean
Equality – He and I United – Bungarlook
PROJECT BACKGROUND
The sculpture is a nod to the temporal Rainbow of Hope mural Deb painted at Shirley Burke Theatre, Parkdale in 2020, which received an overwhelming positive response from the local community, as it celebrated the unity and connection demonstrated amongst Kingston residents in the face of social distancing rules.
In July-August 2020 the community was invited to provide feedback on public art for the Bay Trail via the ‘Your Kingston Your Say’ platform. The survey results reflected an overwhelmingly positive response to the design and its timely focus on the hope and connection experienced in the Kingston community during the challenges of COVID-19.
Following a series of creative community engagement workshops held towards the end of November 2020, the artist undertook consultation with community members and surrounding primary schools. Leadership groups from grade 6 classes at Parktone Primary, Aspendale Primary and Edithvale Primary Schools identified the key community values of Respect, Leadership, Honesty, Kindness, Happiness, Gratitude and Equality. These values will be celebrated through text plaques on each of the sculpture's arches in both English and the language of the Indigenous Land Owners.
The artist worked with Council Officers, led by the Indigenous Portfolio Officer in consultation with Traditional Owners on this multifaceted project.
This project is supported by the City of Kingston.
Deb McNaughton, Rainbow of Hope, painted mural, Shirley Burke Theatre, 2020, photography by Shuttermain
DEB MCNAUGHTON
Deb McNaughton is an established Australian artist based in Aspendale. Deb runs public workshops from her studio and has a love for colour and a passion for making the world a brighter place through art. Working with a variety of mediums, Deb’s style is described as spontaneous, diverse and fun. Her creativity comes from the heart and her colourful creations are widely recognised in both Australia and overseas.
Website: debmcnaughton.com
Instagram: @deb.mcnaughton
the art pass reimagined by anu patel (2022)
Rowy Lane, 1/423 Nepean Highway, Chelsea
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Due to the demolition of the Chelsea Station as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project, Kingston Arts has partnered with artist Anu Patel to create a mural in homage of The Art Pass; a large scale public mural which was created for the Chelsea train station underpass in 2013 by the artist. For The Art Pass Reimagined project, Anu worked with a wide range of community members to complete the large scale mural on the laneway wall, which is the pedestrian walkway that connects the Chelsea Shopping Precinct with the Safeway carpark. The feedback on the ground has been so encouraging, and seen Anu mentor an array of local residents who picked up a brush and painted alongside her, in addition to participants from the original 2013 project. Anu worked closely with local community members as well as 300 students from Bonbeach Primary and Chelsea Primary Schools.
A special thank you to the Lead Volunteers who each contributed to the painting of the mural including: Terrin Ypelaan, Valda Walton, Roisin Johnson, Elizabeth Alexandrou, Debra Wright, Wayne Roberts, Jasmine Pole and Fiona Connell.
This project is proudly funded by Kingston City Council in partnership with the Level Crossing Removal Project
Video: Artist Anu Patel leading community engagement workshop with students at Bonbeach Primary School, 2021, by Shuttermain
butterfly renewal & the monarchs (2022)
Mural by Mike Makatron and sculptures by Damian Vick through Artbox.
Horscroft Place Pocket Park, Moorabbin
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Artists Mike Makatron and Damien Vick via Artbox and The City of Kingston have partnered to create public artworks at the Horscroft Place Pocket Park.
The Butterfly Renewal murals by Mike Makatron and assisting artists takes inspiration from Australian flora, depicting the progressive stages of the Monarch butterflies' rebirth, which, much like Horscroft Place Pocket Park, has undergone a significant transformation.
The Monarchs sculptures by Damian Vick are designed to continue the narrative of the adjacent mural, bringing an additional and playful dimension to the space, emerging from their chrysalides to bathe their newly formed wings in the sun.
The Horscroft Place Pocket Park was developed by the City of Kingston in partnership with the Victorian Government through the Suburban Parks Program.
the shape of movement by abbey rich and beci orpin (2021)
Ben Kavanagh Reserve, Mordialloc
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As part of the redevelopment of the Ben Kavanagh Reserve in Mordialloc, Kingston Arts partnered with artist's Abbey Rich and Beci Orpin to deliver a large sports themed mural on the onsite sports rebound wall. Throughout the community consultation process, the artist's collaborated with Mordialloc Beach Primary and St Brigid's Primary students on the murals design. Students worked with the artists to create a vibrant design inspired by energy, play and movement.
Check out the below time-lapse video to see the artists at work below!
Image: Beci Orpin, workshop with local students, 2021, Photography by Shuttermain
This project is proudly funded by the City of Kingston.
the strand mall by tom civil (2020)
The Strand, Chelsea
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Artist Tom Civil has completed a painted mural in the Chelsea Strand. As part of the development of a long-term plan for Chelsea, Council heard community feedback about the desire for a new mural in the Strand to help enliven the public realm. The artist worked with members of the Chelsea Community Panel to develop the design, incorporating the strong coastal and beach themes that the community in Chelsea hold close to their hearts. The mural features local plants, shells, seeds, starfish, grass, seaweed and other objects home to Chelsea’s beaches, including a conical sand snail egg sack. A piece of fluorescent fishing line highlights the importance of keeping our waterways clean and safe.
Tom Civil is Melbourne based artist, muralist, community art facilitator and print-maker and has been practicing for over 17 years.
Commissioned by City of Kingston.
Image: The Strand Mural, by Tom Civil, Photography by Frank Amato Photography
seasonal migrants by geoffrey carran (2020)
Chelsea Womens Sports Centre in Chelsea
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Artist Geoffrey Carran has completed a large-scale mural on the rear façade of Chelsea Women’s Sports Centre in consultation with local community members, Friends of Edithvale Wetlands and users of the Sports Centre. Funded through Kingston City Council and a grant from the Department of Justice and Community Safety, the artwork was delivered along-side a graffiti education session run from Chelsea Skate Park. The mural pays homage to the Sharp Tailed Sandpiper, which annually migrate from Siberia to the Edithvale Wetlands. The wetlands support over 1% of the global Sandpiper population, which has seen them listed as a RAMSAR site of international significance.
The winning choices in our naming of the birds competition are Boloto & Billabong!
Boloto (is Russian for swamp) & Billabong highlights the importance of the habitats at both ends of the Sandpipers journey.
Congratulations to Michelle Endersby for your thoughtful and winning entry and thank you to everyone who entered.
Learn more about the significance of the Sharp Tailed Sandpiper to the Edithvale Wetlands here.
Image: Seasonal Migrants, sharp-tailed sandpipers and the importance of local wetlands, by Geoffrey Carran, Photography by Shuttermain
New Riviera (2019)
by Julie Shiels
Mentone community piazza, Mentone
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In celebration of the Mentone Renaissance redevelopment, community members selected Melbourne artist Julie Shiels’ permanent bronze artwork entitled “New Riviera” to be installed in the new Mentone community piazza. The community supported the use of the deck chair as a motif that celebrated Mentone’s history and beach culture, as well as it’s Italian influences. The familiar form of the deck chair is made strange and surprising through the process of casting in bronze and has appeal to all age groups. Julie hopes the work will create a space to relax and enjoy all that Mentone has to offer but also that will also serve as a reminder to look around and to consider everyday objects in new ways. “New Riviera” was constructed locally at the Perrin Sculpture Foundry in Cheltenham.
Photo by Shuttermain Photography
unokomuno (2017)
By Ian Bracegirdle
Westall Library and Community Hub, 35 Fairbank Road, Clayton South
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In 2016, high profile artist, Ian Bracegirdle, was commissioned to work in partnership with the local community to create a site specific artwork outside the new Westall Library and Community Hub that would celebrate the local area and its people. Whilst the plant like form historically references the market gardens that once thrived in the area, it also reflects the growth of the contemporary community, the waves of migration to the region, as well as the language and culture of past and current generations. The outer glazing or skin of the sculpture, features drawings, icons and words gathered through community consultation and workshops. The coming together of community is further reflected in the title of the sculpture, Unukomuno, which means one community.
TILLAGE (2014)
By Paul Johnson
Roundabout at the intersection of Old Dandenong Road, Centre Dandenong Road & Tootal Road, Dingley Village
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In March 2013, artist Paul Johnson was unanimously selected by Council's Public Art Advisory Panel for his concept, Tillage, as the preferred design in reference to the region’s agricultural history. Tillage depicts a series of mounded furrows arcing above the ground in shapes that evoke working metal tools, wheels, discs and farm machinery. This notion of agricultural labour is further emphasised by curved, custom designed, laser cut images of cart wheels into Corten steel sheets resting upon the tops of the five arcs. At ground level is a matching series of furrows, created from low planting, that reaches from one side of the roundabout to the other. As the sun fades the arcs are illuminated by yellow-orange ambient light.
MOORABIN JUNCTION (2014)
By James Beattie
Kingston City Hall, Moorabbin
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Local artist James Beattie was commissioned to design the Moorabbin Junction mural. James’ design was inspired by the area with the aim of connecting viewers in a relevant way to the unique character of Moorabbin. The art work celebrates the rich history of Moorabbin within its design. Images of the area’s iconic hall including its ruby red curtain and its historic 1928 Wurlitzer Theatre Organ also feature in the work and give relevance to the local arts precinct. Being local means that James has a close affinity with many local youth interested in his style of work. An important aspect of the project saw James mentor aspiring young artists in the installation of the work.
THE ART PASS (2013)
By Anu Patel
Chelsea Train Station Underpass, Chelsea
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Please note: Due to the demolition of the Chelsea Station as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project, the Art Pass mural from 2013 can no longer be viewed as it has been decommissioned. Kingston City Council has partnered with artist Anu Patel to create a mural in homage of the original project. Read about the Art Pass Reimagined project above.
The Art Pass was an exciting community arts project that culminated in a large-scale public art work in and around the Chelsea Train Station with the aim to improve the safety and civic pride. Kingston Arts in partnership with Chelsea Community Renewal commissioned lead artist Anu Patel, to engage with up to 300 local residents in a series of creative workshops in late 2011 and early 2012 to inform a large-scale public art work in and around the Chelsea Train Station underpass. During this period, a disused shopfront located in the Cheslea shopping strip on Nepean Highway opposite the Chelsea Train Station was transformed into a working studio and the project's creative headquarters. Participants who took part in the workshops included students from Chelsea Primary School, Bonbeach Primary School and St Joseph’s Primary School, members of the Chelbara Choir, the Chelsea and District Historical Society, residents of Chelsea Caravan Park, the Chelsea Bonbeach Train Station Group, and youth from Local Education Employment Program. Their art works, coupled with the areas historical and social context, influenced the final design concept for the public art work.
The Art Pass was supported with funding from Creative Victoria, the Department of Transport, the Department of Human Services and Metro.
TWO ACRE VILLAGE (2012)
By James Beattie and Andrew Bourke
The Fore Apartments, Cheltenham
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Two Acre Village comprises a large section of abstract shapes and patterns that almost merge into trails of colour when seen from train windows, but view the image close up and you will develop an appreciation of the incredible and detailed images that reflect Cheltenham’s history. From the bush and parkland and local Indigenous culture, through to early shopfronts and buildings and iconic local residents, the mural is a historical timeline of Two Acre Village, the name once given to the suburb of Cheltenham.
With a love of street art, local artists James Beattie and Andrew Bourke have capitalised on their passion and are amongst Melbourne's most respected street artists. Both have exhibited both nationally and internationally and have become leaders in the field, often giving back to the community by mentoring young aspiring artists in the installation of their work.
POMPEI’S BOAT (2010)
By Julie Squires
Pompeis Landing, Mordialloc
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Pompeis Boat is the third and final sculpture as part of the larger Pioneer Coastal Arts Project, which also produced the art works, Horse and Memories of a Seaside. Artist, Julie Squires, spent considerable time consulting with brothers Joe and the late Jack Pompei regarding the style of boat building that has become synonymous with the Pompei style of hand-made boat construction. The work has become an iconic landmark in Mordialloc at the gateway to the southern bayside suburbs of Melbourne.
Pompeis Boat was supported with funding from Pioneer Electronics.
HORSE (2009)
By Julie Squires
Beach Road, Mordialloc
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In 2006, in collaboration with Pioneer Electronics Australia, the City of Kingston launched the Pioneer Coastal Arts Project, a series of interpretive sculptural art works installed along the foreshore between Mentone and Mordialloc, with the inonic Horse sculpture as a focal piece. The vision was to create a distinct and memorable series of public art works that would enhance civic pride through a tangible legacy that reflected the history of the area. A cast bronze sculpture of a horse standing 16 hands high, located at the end of Bay Street, Mordialloc was inspired by the memories of racehorses being exercised in the water along the foreshore.
The Horse sculpture was supported with funding from Pioneer Electronics.
BUNDLE OF STICKS (2008)
By Elizabeth Weissensteiner
Clarinda Community Centre, Clarinda
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The City of Kingston commissioned artist Dr. Elizabeth Weissensteiner (courtesy Über Gallery) to create a piece of public art for Clarinda Community Centre. Bundle of Sticks was launched in April 2008 and is based on the fable of the same name. The design represents the strength of a community that has a shared identity and purpose. The work celebrates the values of the people of the area, multiculturalism and unity.
ARGYLE (2007-2008)
By CPG Australia
Lake King Circle, Waterways
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The final stage of the Waterways development was named “Argyle” after developer Mirvac noticed the footprint of the land resembled a diamond chamfer. In keeping with the development’s name, CPG Australia was commissioned to create a sculptural focal point for the area, choosing to reference the sleek design of the modern diamond ring.
Photo credit: Shuttermain Photography
EXCAVATOR (2008)
By Greg Johns
Waterside Drive, Waterways
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In 2002, Greg Johns was commissioned by the Waterways Residential Development to create a body of sculptures that responded to the development’s wetland environment. The result of this commission are the five bird-like creatures that Johns refers to as “excavators”. The abstracted birds are constructed out of Corten steel, a signature material used by Johns to create a stable, rusted surface that continues to develop over the course of the sculpture’s life. The sculptures reference the rich and diverse bird-life inhabiting the Waterways Estate, and can be found scattered along Waterside Drive.
Photo credit: Shuttermain Photography
WATERWAYS (2008)
By Ken Blum
Bowen Park Bridge, Waterside Drive & Westbridge board walk, Waterways
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Ken Blum was commissioned by the Waterways Residential Development to create four carved wooden sculptures that reflected the wetlands and history of the local area. Two of his works are of birds, representing the ancestral spirit of the Bunurong / Boon Wurrung; the traditional people and custodians of the land. The two other works are portrait carvings, primarily made from cypress logs that have been placed as sentries to the wetlands. Using chainsaws, axes and chisels Ken has revealed the faces of two indigenous people. The large stones featured as a platform on each of the sculptures perform a necessary proactive function, to keep water out of the trunk of the timber and prevent rotting.
Photo credit: Shuttermain Photography
RESTING PLACE (1999)
By Anne Ross
Westfield Southland
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Anne Ross is an accomplished Melbourne-based artist with a growing body of public sculpture in Melbourne, Canberra and Hong Kong. Her work exudes a playfulness and humor, often seen in her beloved canine characters that reappear throughout her sculptures. Resting Place was commissioned in 1999 by Kingston City Council in partnership with Westfield Southland, and has offered both a whimsical and physical place of refuge outside the busy shopping precinct ever since.
URBAN ANGELS (1994)
By Wendy Reiss
Kingston Arts Centre, Moorabbin
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Wendy Reiss is a Melbourne based ceramic artist, designer, drawer and painter. The Urban Angels sculpture was created by the artist in September 1994 and now sits at the entry of the Kingston Arts Centre in Moorabbin.
THE CENTAUR (1994)
By Wendy Reiss
Kingston Arts Centre, Moorabbin
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Wendy Reiss is a Melbourne based ceramic artist, designer, drawer and painter. The Centaur sculpture was created by the artist in September 1994 and now sits at the entry of the Kingston Arts Centre in Moorabbin.