Enfield Murals Project

As a part of the Enfield Village Revitalisation Project Council has commissioned three artists for the Enfield Murals Project.

One of the key components to the revitalisation project is the delivery of three large scale public art murals. All three mural locations occupy their own unique space but are located within close proximity to each other. To deliver this project Council has teamed up with local property owners to install the murals onto their public facing walls.

Council invites the community to provide feedback on the three draft artworks proposed for the project:

Location 1: 343-347 Liverpool Rd

Artwork Theme: An artwork which acts as a gateway into the Enfield Village, welcoming people to the vibrant new village Centre.

Selected artist: George Rose
George Rose is a Melbourne based artist best known for her large-scale murals. Since moving away from her formal design training several years ago, she has focused on pursuing a multidisciplinary art practice, using her love of colour, gradients and type to spread her uplifting messages.

Not wanting to be too prescriptive with her symbolism whilst still representing Enfield, George has created a series of abstract works that invite the community to explore the shapes and bring their own meaning to the textures.

This process is called ‘Pareidolia’, which describes the human tendency to seek patterns in random information, such as seeing shapes in clouds. For George these shapes are intended to function as representations of ideas. Symbols used include the archway which represents an entrance, circles to represent working together completing a cycle and arrows for progress. Also used are textures indicative of the earth and the country on which Enfield is build and a rainbow of colours to represent the different communities within Enfield. The colours appear throughout the mural as a gradient, each colour seamlessly complimenting the next just as each community in Burwood brings something special and unique to the area. These ideas collaborating within the mural are intended to act as a happy welcoming party to the area.

Proposed Artwork for location:

Location 2: 6-8 Coronation Parade

Artwork Theme: An artwork to reference the botanical history of the Enfield area. Including references to the former Tomkins Nursery which is located in present day Enfield Flower Power and Arthur Yates who lived in the area and founded Yates Seeds.

Selected artist: Thomas Jackson
Thomas Jackson is An Australian artist and illustrator who was born in Bolton, U.K. Moving to Sydney, Australia as a child, he was instantly drawn to the natural wildlife of this new country. Today, Thomas puts a modern take on ‘Natural History Illustration’, painstakingly creating smaller scale works for galleries and translating these into large scale public murals.

‘Pretty things which go together’ is a concept that both plays with the themes of the history of the Enfield area and a theme that is close to my heart, the conservation and protection of our under threat local wildlife. I have shown this with a two sided story, one the local historical imagery of the Tomkins nursery and the second highlighting a local at risk bird species, the glossy black cockatoo.

The historical aspect of this artwork is represented by the Tomkins Nursery which is now the Enfield Flower Power. After visiting the Enfield Flower Power site I took note and imagery of the old signage ( that is still on display today) and looked at the area that was once the avery filled with red canaries. The red canary wouldn’t be my first choice of species to paint as its not an indigenous species but their bright colours and playful poses lend you to believe that these birds feel right at home in and amongst our native flowering eucalypt’s. Eucalypt’s are an important tree for our local animals as they provide important habitats for nesting, feeding and breeding. You could just see these bright playful birds at home within our native bushlands.

The conservation aspect of this artwork is the male and female pair of Glossy Black Cockatoo’s , (Calyptorhynchus lathami) at home, munching away on their favourite food source, the she-oak (Casuarina and Allocasuarina). These birds are very picky eaters feeding only on the seeds in cones of she-oaks and only on selected individual trees. They are one of the friendliest birds and are not easily disturbed when feeding. They will sit quietly and the only noise you will hear is the soft sound of cracking cones, people often do not even realise they are there.

Why the Glossy Black Cockatoo? Glossies are in such low numbers and are at such risk due to food and habitat destruction that to see one is the highlight of any bird or wildlife enthusiast within NSW and Australia’s southern states. Within this artwork I wish to ‘bring some back’ to the Burwood area and educate the viewer on these significant natives and what they can do to help repopulate their numbers. Plant more She-oaks, Leave that dead gum tree as a habitat home, keep your cat indoors and most importantly, be proactive about habitat conservation so we insure that these birds live on for the next generation.

Proposed Artwork for location:

Location 3: 312 Liverpool Road, facing into Byer Street.

Artwork Theme: An artwork to relate to the old Enfield Savoy Cinema and Milk Bar, located right next to the property selected for the mural.

Selected Artist: Georgia Draws A House, in collaboration with Sharon Billinge & Love Is A Sign
Georgia is a proud Inner West, Sydney based artist, illustrator and graphic designer.

Sharon Billinge is an Inner West based artist with a multi-disciplinary practice concerned with people and relationships.

Love Is A Sign Is Centered Around The Talents Of Inner West Signwriter, Ann Woo. Ann's Focus Is On Traditional Signwriting Methods. She Prides Herself On Simple, Yet Effective, Layout And Design.

Drawing upon her family's history of running the famous Bondi Milk Bar, Georgia has taken inspiration from the Enfield Savoy Cinema and reimagined this colourful building Façade. The 9 posters along the bottom of the mural will be hero images inspired by real signage from her Nono’s milkbar days.

Proposed Artwork for location: