The eastern tunnel entrance artworks – Kent Morris' Where We Walk and Aunty Kim Wandin's Murrup Biik – will be installed in the South Yarra Siding Reserve and Arthur Street pocket park, as part of overall plans to reinstate and enhance the reserve following Metro Tunnel construction.
This opportunity was open to artists from a Victorian Traditional Owner group(s) or First Nations artists that live and work in Victoria. This is a special measure under section 12 of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (VIC).South Yarra Siding Reserve is a culturally significant site for the Wurundjeri people, with ancestral connection to the local area dating back thousands of generations.
We’ve worked alongside Traditional Owners and First Nations artists to respond to the historical significance of this site and the languages, beliefs, practices and experiences of Victoria’s First Peoples.
The Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung are the Traditional Owners and Registered Aboriginal Party for the land on which South Yarra Siding Reserve sits.
The final selected artists were provided the opportunity to consult with representatives from Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung while developing their concepts, to ensure their artworks are respectful of Traditional Owner cultural values.
The Rail Network Alliance (formerly Rail Infrastructure Alliance) engaged extensively with the South Yarra community about planning and design of the South Yarra Siding Reserve. Insights from this engagement were shared with the final selected artists, to provide broader community context for the artworks.
The artworks deliver high-quality outcomes for present and future generations, and be integrated into the enhanced public realm design of the site.
An Art Advisory Panel considered all submissions and formally assessed the submissions against set criteria.
The panel comprised representatives from the Rail Network Alliance Metro Tunnel Project, Creative Victoria, Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation and City of Stonnington.
The western tunnel entrance artwork – Stephen Banham's One Day in Our Park – is installed on a 300m long flood wall adjacent to JJ Holland Park. The flood wall is a necessary safety feature given the proximity of the tunnel entrance to the Maribyrnong River.
Extensive community feedback in 2018 and 2019 highlighted the visual prominence of the flood wall in the Kensington area.
A creative design treatment addresses the high value of the experiences and views from JJ Holland park to the flood wall, and offers a sympathetic urban design response to the park while also celebrating the Kensington community's connection to it.
Due to the technical requirements of the commission, as well as the size and scale of the site, an arts curator was appointed to curate a longlist of established designers.
The designers were considered based on their previous creative and artistic work of comparable scale and technical complexity, as well as the community engagement aspects of their practice.
An advisory panel shortlisted 5 designers to develop concepts for consideration, select the final designer and oversee the design process.
The advisory panel consisted of members of the Rail Network Alliance, Metro Tunnel Project, City of Melbourne, Creative Victoria, Office of the Victorian Government Architect, and an independent First Nations architect.
Rail Network Alliance, the contractor delivering the Metro Tunnel western tunnel entrance on behalf of Metro Tunnel Project, consulted with the local Kensington community to help inform the design of the flood wall.
In 2020, RIA and the selected artist, Stephen Banham, engaged directly with the Kensington community for inspiration and ideas as Stephen further refined his design.
