Melbourne Quarter revamped with First Nations artworks

Melbourne Quarter is now home to eight curated works that will take visitors through the precinct via a public art walk.

Broached Commissions is the creative director of the public art throughout the Lendlease project, and this latest investment in its creative arts and culture serves to further intrigue visitors to the precinct.

Among the diverse works that have recently been showcased are sculptures and installations, with all produced by Australian-based artists.

The rich First Nations history within the Docklands location has also been heavily reflected and concentrated on within all of the artworks that now permanently stand at the precinct.

Standing high in Melbourne Quarter, with its best view being from the corner of Flinders St and Wurundjeri Way, is the Embodied artwork sculpture by artist Grace Lillian Lee.

The work is Ms Lee’s first-ever public art commission, and she has reflected on her Torres Strait Islander heritage to showcase a symbolic work that represents Dreamtime stories.

The main sculpture within the Embodied artwork is an ode to Binbeal who is the god of the rainbow in Australian Aboriginal religion and mythology.

She has also used her fashion designing skills and training within her work to feature a laser-cut weave pattern in the metal to represent the Torres Strait Islands’ weaving technique.

Closer to the ground, and found in TiTree Park, is Melbourne-based artist Emily Floyd’s Grass Parrot Family sculptures.

The work has been carefully curated into the landscape of the urban park and is there to further engage children with the history of the site which was once a garden home to a variety of plants and birds that were taken care of by First Nations people.

Other works in the collection are Your Lordship Has Been Fortunate by John Warwicker, Colourama by OCULUS and Broached Commissions, Stumped by Trent Jansen, Gunpowder Empires by U-P, Landscape Amnesia by Stanislava Pinchuk and Reko Rennie, and Fire by Yhonnie Scarce.

These bright, engaging and meaningful works can also be found at One Melbourne Quarter lobby, Gunpowder Walk and Melbourne Square. •

For more information: melbournequarter.com/about/publicart

Photo caption 1: Family by Emily Floyd.

Photo caption 2: Embodied by Grace Lillian Lee.

Photo caption 3: Colourama by OCULUS & Broached Commissions.

Photo caption 4: Gunpowder Empires by U-P.

Photos: Peter Bennetts.