Two tunnelling machines set to build the northern section of Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) East will feature art from Aboriginal artist Hayden Roberts.
A proud Wurundjeri and Dja Dja Wurrung man, Hayden is an emerging artist whose piece ‘Footsteps of the Past’ features on the cutterheads of 2 tunnel boring machines (TBM) set to build a section of the SRL East twin tunnels through Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country – between Glen Waverley and Box Hill.
Hayden works for Wurundjeri in the Narrap Unit at Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Corporation as a Bush Ranger Trainee, with his work on Country informing his art – weaving together culture, heritage, connection to environment and storytelling.
Hayden says his art is a way to leave his mark on Country, ‘I really wanted to express Wurundjeri Country through this artwork. To show how the landscape was formed, how it is today…the lines of the mountains, the waterways, the different areas of land.’
The piece features leaves of the manna gum, representing Wurundjeri Peoples and their enduring connection to land, water, skies, people and animals.
SRL East from Cheltenham to Box Hill is powering ahead, with major construction underway and more than 3000 people already working on the project. SRL is creating jobs and training opportunities in Victoria for young people, people with a disability, women, and First People.
SRL East will slash travel times and cut congestion– while delivering 70,000 more homes within walking distance of the 6 new underground stations.
Suburban Rail Loop Authority (SRLA) is working with Traditional Owners to embed and reflect Aboriginal knowledge, culture and values in station and precinct design.