The line-wide artwork will feature across all 5 new underground stations – Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall and Anzac.
Audio: Gentle music plays
Visual: Maree Clarke, line-wide artist, wearing a hard hat and hi-vis vest, underground at Arden Station platforms.
Audio [Maree]: My name is Maree Clarke. I'm connected to the traditional lands of Mutti Mutti, Boonwurrung, Yorta Yorta and Wamba Wamba Peoples.
Visual: Maree Clarke and other people in hi-vis admire Clarke’s artwork on the station platform floors.
Audio [Maree]: After, I think 2 and a half years, my artwork is finally being installed.
Visual: View of station platform with the outline of an animal footprint.
Audio [Maree]: Footprints down on platform level and these are endangered species, extinct species of animals and some that are, you know, there's quite a few now today, but thinking in 100 years’ time, like what's going to be left.
Visual: A close view of the animal footprints. Construction cones surround Maree’s artwork.
Audio [Maree]: Footprints are roughly around 2 metres in length, and I think there's 7 on each platform.
Visual: A waterjet machine cutting a piece of granite to form small sections of Maree’s artwork.
Audio [Maree]: I basically did black line drawings and then they were waterjet cut with lots of different coloured granite and put together like a jigsaw puzzle.
Visual: A person grouping various pieces of cut granite to fill out the shape of the footprint artwork.
Audio [Maree]: Well, I think it's great to bring artwork down onto platform level.
Visual: Maree talking with a Metro Tunnel team member. Maree and the team watch a test train pass by the Arden Station platform.
Audio [Maree]: It's just been a bit hard to try and work out what materials you can work with so many metres underground and to be able to tell these stories that will last, you know, hopefully over 100 years time.
Visual: A group of people admire Maree’s artwork on paper. Maree kneels on the ground, close to the footprint artwork and points out details of her work to surrounding people.
Visual: Blue background with Metro Tunnel, Victoria’s Big Build and Victoria State Government logos in white.
About the artwork
Celebrated Victorian First Nations artist, Maree Clarke, has created Tracks – a line-wide artwork that spans all 5 stations. Clarke’s artwork showcases native fauna found across the traditional lands and waters of the 5 Kulin Nation clans – Wadawurrung, Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung, Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung, and Bunurong / Boonwurrung. Maree’s artwork comprises large scale floor mosaics created from coloured granite. The granite was cut using a waterjet, with each piece finished and assembled by hand. There will be a total of 35 footprints featured across the 5 station platforms.
The footprints at each station have been chosen by the artist from native animals (living and extinct) found in the different natural habitats across Kulin Nation Country, which includes Greater Melbourne and parts of south-central Victoria.
Arden Station will feature footprints of forest-dwelling animals which may be or were once found on Wadawurrung Country, such as the quoll, the eastern pigmy possum and the koala. Anzac Station showcases footprints of animals found in coastal environments on Bunurong / Boonwurrung Country, including the fur seal and fairy penguin.
Line-wide artwork by Maree Clarke – concept only
Line-wide artwork by Maree Clarke – concept only
Line-wide artwork by Maree Clarke – concept only
Line-wide artwork installed at Arden Station
Line-wide artwork installed at Arden Station
Line-wide artwork installed at Parkville Station
Line-wide artwork detail
‘For me it's about the legacy that you leave those children and communities and the pride that they'll get coming into a station that's dedicated to them all. That to me is priceless.’
About the artist
Renowned artist Maree Clarke is a Yorta Yorta/Wamba Wamba/Mutti Mutti/Boonwurrung woman who grew up in Mildura and now lives in Melbourne. Her work connects the past with the present – telling stories of Aboriginal people, their connections to Country and cultural practices that extend back more than 60,000 years.