Culture

An 85-Metre Portrait Of An Indigenous Elder Has Been Sculpted Into The Side Of An Apartment Building In Melbourne

Public art done right.

by Meg Watson  3 March 2015

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If you’re somewhere in the Melbourne CBD, chances are that you can look around and see a giant face staring down at you. Though somewhat intimidating and definitely a little confusing, the face — composed from the balconies of a new apartment building on Swanston Street — is definitely incredible, like some kind of enormous architectural Magic Eye.

Though the building is set to be officially unveiled on Thursday after some minor alterations, Melburnians have been given their first look at the project this week, and the portrait has been revealed to be Wurundjeri elder William Barak.

Barak was an incredibly well-respected figure in Melbourne before his death in 1903. He was an artist, a community leader and a pioneer for Indigenous justice, widely referred to as the “King of the Yarra“. His likeness, measuring in at an enormous 85 metres over 31 storeys, was created in collaboration with elders from the Wurundjeri tribe by Melbourne and Perth-based designers from ARM Architecture. And yes, his facial hair really was as impressive as it looks.

The project, located near the intersection of Swanston and Queensberry Streets was also managed by the infamous construction company Grocon. This was the same site where three pedestrians were killed in March 2013 after the collapse of a temporary wall. Since then, Grocon were ordered to pay $250,000 in compensation after pleading guilty to a breach in workplace safety in November last year. Here, the company’s Executive Chairman Daniel Grollo stated his “deep regret” for the tragedy. “Our thoughts and sympathies remain with all of those affected by the loss of these three young lives,” he said in a statement.

Speaking about the design, Director of ARM Architecture Howard Raggatt this morning told The Age he hoped the building would act as a symbolic cultural contribution to the city. “[It will] provide thoughtfully for those who live in it,” he said.

Though widely celebrated as the “cultural capital” of Australia, Melbourne has a kind of sketchy past with public artworks such as this. In the early ’80s, Ron Robertson-Swann’s abstract neon sculpture Vault was condemned (in a weirdly racist way) as “the yellow peril” and banished from the city centre to the back of an art gallery. Even attempts to brighten up the city’s freeways regularly come under criticism; looking at you, giant unnecessary french fry that hovers implausibly over my car.

But now, with this and the similar — though much less political — large-scale portrait works from much-celebrated street artist Rone, it seems Melbourne’s finally getting into the swing of things.

If nothing else, this — an incredible feat of architecture and design that holds great cultural significance for the city and its people — is definitely something to hold over whatever the hell Sydney is doing these days.

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Feature image via Dougal Beatty/Twitter.