Public Art Stroll: Canberra City

Public Art: Canberra City,
with a modernist focus
Self-guided walking tour designed
by Deborah Clark
One city
200+ events
9—29 November
DesignCanberraFestival.com.au
DESIGN
Anytime

Introduction
DESIGN Canberra celebrates and promotes
Canberra as a global city of design. It is an
annual festival that has been running seven
years strong.
The festival is presented by Craft ACT: Craft + Design Centre, a respected
and nearly 50-year-old membership organisation which represents the
Canberra region’s designers, artists and craftspeople at every stage of
their careers. Craft ACT is home to a community of glass artists, furniture
makers, textiles artists, ceramic artists and jewellers, and collaborates
with designers and architects across many disciplines.
CANBERRA
DESIGN
FESTIVAL
Front cover: Canberra City.
Photo: 5 Foot Photography.
Back cover: Petrie Plaza.
Photo: Craft ACT.
Deborah Clark walking tour.
Photo: 5 Foot Photography.
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H1
Heading
H2 Heading
Quote –“It was the biggest job ever built in
Australia at the time – a million square feet – it
was a city not a building! And I’m much more
interested in the building as part of the city,
in the urban forms of things, than I am in the
individual gem.”
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The self-guided tour
To connect with audiences who cannot physically
make it to Canberra during the festival, DESIGN
Canberra is curating Body – a Design DESIGN Canberra Anytime celebrates program. and promotes Canberra
This new program as a includes global city self-guided of design. tours It is an of annual iconic program that has
architecture and been contemporary running six design years strong. throughout The festival is presented by
Canberra. This Craft will promote ACT: Craft and + celebrate Design Centre, Canberra a respected as and nearly
a global city of 50-year- design every old membership day of the year. organisation which represents the
Canberra region’s designers, artists and craftspeople at every
This walking tour of public art begins in Ainslie Place,
stage of their careers. Craft ACT is home to a community
goes to City Walk, Petrie Plaza and Garema Place, and
of glass artists, furniture makers, textiles artists, ceramic
follows London Circuit around to Knowles Place on the
artists and jewellers, and collaborates with designers and
other side of City Hill. It will take around 45 minutes to
architectsacross many disciplines.
an hour.
Access. Body –Access details

Travel Route
Deborah Clark is an art historian who has had an
extensive professional engagement with the visual
arts in Canberra, where she has been a curator,
editor, writer, lecturer, and active member of the arts
community for 30 years. Deborah has an enduring
interest in the art, architecture and urban fabric of
Canberra. Join her on this self-guided version of her
walking tours.
The walk explores Canberra City.
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1. ‘Untitled’(1981)
2. ‘ACT Memorial’ (2006)
3. ‘The Canberra Times fountain’ (1979)
4. ‘The other side of midnight’ (2012)
5. ‘Star ceiling’ (1963)
6. ‘Icarus series’ (2009)
7. ‘Civic Carousel’ (c.1914)
8. ‘Bush pack’ (2011)
9. ‘The big little man’ (1999)
10. ‘Eternity’(1981)
11. ‘Dream lens for the future’ (2012)
12. ‘Gravity circle’ (1981)
13. ‘Dreaming’ (1964)

S MARITTI,
‘Untitled’
1967
ten relief panels, copper coated concrete;
subsequently painted
These panels are integrated into the façade of the
building and designed to complement the architecture.
In their abstracted form of rhythmic grids, suggesting
the dynamism of modern life they are a perfect foil to the
bank building, one of the numerous cool internationalist
1960s constructions that defined Canberra’s new civic and
commercial heart. The artist is otherwise unknown and it is
thought that s/he may have been the builder.
LOCATION. Corner of London Circuit and Ainslie
Place, Commonwealth Bank Building facade
‘Untitled’. Photo: Craft ACT.

Matthew HARDING,
‘ACT Memorial’
2006
stainless steel rods, bluestone basalt, glass and
lighting
This work was designed to commemorate people who
have served Australia in war, conflict, peacekeeping and
humanitarian missions and who have an association with
the ACT. The design of the memorial is reminiscent of
the Vietnam Memorial on Anzac Parade in describing a
space for reflection rather than a monument, with 2 semicircular
curtains of steel rods spiralling up to meet each
other forming a kind of sculptural ‘teepee’; at its centre
a sphere – or globe – etched with the words ‘Courage,
Loyalty and Mateship’.
Harding was a prolific sculptor in many mediums and is
represented by 8 works of art in the city and Acton (some
in collaboration with other artists, and including the
stainless steel Cushion in Garema Place and the bronze
Casuarina pods on City Walk), plus a number in Canberra
suburbs.
The material – stainless steel rods – and form of this work
is an evident and elegant nod to and echo of the Canberra
Times fountain with which it lines up in perfect symmetry.
The records of those honoured by the memorial are at:
www.memorial.act.gov.au/
Commissioned by the ACT Government.
LOCATION. Ainslie Place, at London Circuit end
‘ACT Memorial’. Photo: Craft ACT.

10 10

Robert
WOODWARD,
‘The Canberra
Times fountain’
1979
stainless steel tubes and rods
Woodward was trained as an architect and became known
as an innovative sculptor of many well-known fountains
including the ‘El Alamein Memorial Fountain’ (1961, Kings
Cross, Sydney), the ‘NSW Parliament House Courtyard
Fountain’ (1983), and several major works in Canberra:
the ‘High Court Forecourt Fountain and cascade’ (1980),
the ‘Australian Parliament House fountain’ (1988) and, in
collaboration with the artist Ante Dabro (and Lester Firth
& Associates), the water component of Dabro’s ‘Royal
Australian Navy Memorial’ (1986) on Anzac Parade. (He was
commissioned by the Australian War Memorial to design a
stepped granite ‘Cascade’ at the northern end of the Pool of
Reflection in 1980, which was replaced in 1988 by an eternal
flame.) Woodward received the national Walter Burley Griffin
Award for Urban Design in 1991.
Gift of Federal Capital Press, commissioned 1976.
LOCATION. City Walk and Ainslie Place/Ainslie Avenue axis
11 ‘The Canberra Times fountain’. Photo: Craft ACT.

Anne ROSS,
‘The other side of
midnight’
2012
bronze, stainless steel
The artist imagined this trio of a doll/child and 2
carousel dogs apparently in the act of fleeing a
carousel as ‘linking closely with the much loved Civic
Carousel’.
Commissioned by artsACT.
LOCATION. City Walk and Ainslie Place/Ainslie Avenue
‘The other side of midnight’. Photo: Craft ACT.

Frank HINDER,
‘Star ceiling’
1963
glass mosaic ceiling
Look up! This entrance was originally the entrance
to Monaro Mall, the first three-storey covered
shopping mall in Australia, designed by Whitehead
and Payne, and opened by Prime Minister Robert
Menzies in 1963. Created as part of the building,
the vaulted tiled ceiling is a remarkable blend of
form, tone and colour, and perhaps the most subtle
work of art in the city centre. It’s also a testament to
the significance of art in Canberra life and the sense
of modernity that the city encapsulated. Margel
Hinder, the artist of the marvellous aluminium
‘Sculptured form’ (1970) in ‘Woden Town Square’
(1970) and Frank’s wife, was commissioned to
make one of her kinetic sculptures for Monaro
Mall, Revolving sphere 1963, which was suspended
above the escalators, but is now sadly lost.
LOCATION. Entrance to David Jones from City Walk
‘Monaro Mall’. Photo: Bronwen Jones.

Jan BROWN,
‘Icarus series’
2009
bronze [scaled up from original small ciment
fondu works from 2004 & 2005 - 06, in
the collection of the Canberra Museum and
Gallery]
Jan Brown has been one of Canberra’s most
significant figures in the arts since her arrival here
in 1956, as an artist, teacher – at the ANU School
of Art and its precursors – and advocate for
Territory support of artists. Her art has focussed
on the natural world, in particular birds, whom
she has often imbued with human characteristics
and follies. With the ‘Icarus 1-4 series’ she merged
bird and human in her treatment of the Greek
myth of Daedalus and his son Icarus; the father
created wings from feathers and wax to allow
them to escape captivity on the island of Crete,
but Icarus flew too near the sun, the wax melted
and he fell into the sea. Another major work by
Brown is the bronze ‘Kangaroos’ (1979-80) in
Commonwealth Park.
Commissioned by artsACT.
LOCATION. Petrie Plaza, near City Walk intersection
‘Icarus’ series. Photo: Craft ACT.

Herbert THOMSON,
‘Civic Carousel’
c. 1914
The ‘Civic Carousel’ was originally located at the St
Kilda Esplanade in Melbourne where it commenced
operation in 1914. It was designed and built by
engineer Herbert Thomson, also the designer of
Australia’s first successful steam motor car. At the time
it was described as the largest portable steam riding
gallery and the first made in Australia. The organ, fiftytwo
hand-carved wooden horses and two elephants
were imported from Germany, and the twisted brass
uprights from Scotland. The outside of the carousel
roof is adorned with paintings of horses, elephants
and tigers in the wilderness, whilst paintings inside the
merry go round feature more contemplative scenes.
The ‘Civic Carousel’ is listed on the ACT Heritage
Objects Register.
Purchased NCDC 1973.
LOCATION. Petrie Plaza and City Walk intersection
‘Civic Carousel’. Photo: Craft ACT.

Amanda STUART,
‘Bush pack (nil
tenure)’
2011
bronze
This work is a pack of seven bronze dogs in three
groups, that appear to be coursing through City
Walk in the direction of the Civic Carousel. The
work is human/canine in scale. Stuart’s practice is
embedded in issues around landscape and fauna,
in particular the conflicted relationship between
humans and wild dogs. The artist made the originals
of these works in impermanent materials – fabric,
wrapped like bandages – and the bronzes are cast
from those original works. Currently this work is a
little invisible as the pack has been broken up by
newly installed garden beds; apparently there is a
possibility the work will be relocated.
Commissioned artsACT.
LOCATION. City Walk, between Petrie Plaza and Garema Place
‘Bush pack (nil tenure)’. Photo: Craft ACT.

Dean BOWEN,
‘The big little man’
1999, acquired 2008
bronze
Commissioned artsACT.
LOCATION. Petrie Plaza, between city Walk and London Circuit
‘The big little man’. Photo: Craft ACT.

John ROBINSON,
‘Eternity’
1981
polished bronze and stainless steel, painted
Robinson was originally a sculptor of figurative works,
in particular children, athletes and acrobats, including
works for the Australian Institute of Sport (1980s).
In the 1970s he embarked on a series of abstract
sculptures intended to symbolise universal human
values and dynamic processes, many incorporating
scientific theories and concepts. ‘Eternity’ represents
the artist’s faith in the future of the human race, its
ring form suggesting something continuous and
unbroken.
LOCATION. Petrie Plaza, between City Walk and London Circuit.
‘Eternity’. Photo: Craft ACT.

Keizo USHIO,
‘Dream lens for
the future’
2012
granite
Ushio’s signature style of sculpture is this form,
a ring or loop, which is created by carving
intertwining ribbons of stone and threedimensional
circles, works of interlocking parts.
The techniques employed are notoriously difficult
with the material of granite, which has significant
weight and density, yet the artist’s achievement is
a work of elegance and lightness. Ushio employs
mathematics in the engineering of his works,
specifically the Moebius strip, which is a one-sided,
one-edged surface. The placement of Dream lens
is intended to frame City Hill and Parliament House
beyond, a view visible only from the median strip.
Purchased by artsACT.
LOCATION. On northside of the median strip, Northbourne Avenue
‘Dream lens for the future’. Photo: Craft ACT.

Haryuki UCHIDA,
‘Gravity circle’
2007
stainless steel, magnet, paint
Uchida is a Japanese artist whose work has been shown
in Sculpture by the Sea. His work is kinetic, incorporating
movement, and he often uses magnets to create
illusionary effects. The forms in the work combine to
suggest balance, energy and poise; the large central
element balances across a narrow edge and references
the scales of justice – the fine-tuning and careful focus
required in weighing evidence and delivering fairness in
the judicial process.
Commissioned by artsACT.
LOCATION. ACT Magistrates Court
‘Gravity circle’. Photo: Craft ACT.

Milan VOJSK,
‘Dreaming’
1964, installed 1973
cast bronze figure on natural rock in
rectangular pool
Vojsk was an established artist when he migrated
to Australia in 1957 and settled in Sydney. This
work was commissioned by the Reserve Bank
and donated to the city of Canberra, reflecting
the influence of Dr H C ‘Nugget’ Coombs who
believed in that institution’s commitment to and
engagement with the urban fabric of the city and
the community that lives and works here. The title
is a reference to Australian Indigenous culture,
as well as a central tenet of the artist’s belief
in the natural, spiritual and moral order of the
universe. Its style is grounded in early twentiethcentury
expressionist sculpture, particularly the
work of artists such as Ernst Barlach and Wilhelm
Lehmbruck. The work sits on a natural rock in what
was originally a pool, with a fountain. Sadly in
recent years it has not been maintained.
Commissioned by the Reserve Bank of Australia and
gifted to the city of Canberra.
LOCATION. Knowles Place
‘Dreaming’. Photo: Craft ACT.

PROUDLY PRESENTED BY
GOVERNMENT PARTNERS
Craft ACT Craft and Design Centre is
supported by the ACT Government, the Visual
Arts and Craft Strategy - an initiative of the
Australian, State and Territory Governments,
and the Australia Council for the Arts - the
Australian Governments arts funding and
advisory body.
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