Description

Join contemporary artist Maree Clarke, designer Stephen Banham and architect Jefa Greenaway in a conversation with Namila Benson as they discuss their experiences creating permanent works for the Metro Tunnel Project. This panel will explore the challenges and opportunities of working within a large infrastructure project, where the imperative of construction meets the demands of artistic innovation. Hear how they navigated the tensions between creativity and engineering to deliver impactful public art, design, and architecture for the project, and discover how their work is reshaping Melbourne’s urban landscape.

Together, these artists offer a fascinating glimpse into how art, design, and architecture are being used to transform Melbourne’s urban landscape through the Metro Tunnel Project.

Presented by Open House Melbourne and Metro Tunnel Creative Program in partnership with Fed Square.

Speakers

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  Maree Clarke

  Maree Clarke’s line-wide work Tracks takes the form of intricate mosaics created from coloured granite and references her ancestral connection to the land and water. These mosaics depict native animal (living and extinct) footprints found in the natural habitats across Kulin Nation Country. Maree’s contemporary approach to making art brings a sense of place and belonging to public spaces, inviting Melburnians to reflect on the city’s deep cultural roots.

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  Stephen Banham

  Stephen Banham’s work One Day in Our Park blends typography, graphic design, and architecture into striking visuals at the Metro Tunnel Project’s western entrance flood wall in Kensington. Developed with input from the local community, it features durable mosaic tiles in a carefully selected green palette that nod to the area’s industrial heritage and parkland context, and a series of short stories about incidents that can occur in the neighbouring park in the course of a single day. 

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  Jefa Greenaway

  Architect, academic and advocate, Jefa Greenaway has designed a generous Pavilion in Albert Road reserve (opposite Anzac Station) which features a rain garden fed by a bespoke canopy designed and inspired by the form of She-Oak fronds. The work sits adjacent to endemic and Indigenous plant species and weaves in Bunurong language throughout the reserve relating to rain and water to ensure Melbourne’s history and traditions are celebrated in the city’s future development.