PROJECTS

The Seeds of Flight by artist Tomás Saraceno is a series of deep hued, flying sculptures suspended in the cavernous, triple-height lobby of Parkline Place, gracefully floating in mid-air. The artwork weaves together Saraceno’s enduring fascination with alternative flight methods, with his deep commitment to biodiversity.​​ It is composed of 116 modular tetrahedrons, assembled in 15 flying sculptures of variable dimensions rising 18 metres tall and stretching 38 metres in length, made of cotton fabric like those used for sails, and suspended on carbon fibre frames connected by aluminium nodes.

Its colours are drawn from the palette of the eucalyptus tree with deep golds, fiery oranges, and rich, earthen reds. Light alters these hues, making them seem to shimmer at sunrise, vibrate at noon, or glow with warmth at sunset, echoing the way young eucalyptus leaves mature into richer, more intense shades over time. In this ever-renewing rhythm of transformation, the artwork’s colours become a living language, entwined with the changing atmosphere.

Visible from the future Town Hall Square through the floor to ceiling glass windows of the podium, the artwork is expected to attract people at all times of day and night, providing another memorable Sydney experience, and acting as a major meeting and gathering place in the city.

Parkline Place owners Oxford Properties Group (‘Oxford’) and Mitsubishi Estate Asia (‘MEA’) commissioned the artwork as a significant public art installation that would seamlessly integrate with the design of the building and the purpose-built exhibition-style space of the grand lobby. The artwork took over two years to design and produce, following a 13-month selection process. The artwork took over two years to design and produce, following a 13-month selection process managed by Investa with leading art curator Barbara Flynn, that attracted submissions from 30 renowned artists from Australia and 12 other nations.  Matt Poll, Artistic Director of Liminal Placemaking worked with Tomás Saraceno on the artwork proposal through to design and installation.

Wiradjuri artist Lua Pellegrini’s vibrant Acknowledgement of Country artwork at Henson Park offers a powerful tribute to the stories of this place. Bold in colour and form, the work honours the enduring cultural connections to Country and invites reflection within a much-loved community and sporting precinct.

Liminal Placemaking with Artefact led the heritage interpretation planning and public artwork development for the project, including community consultation, curatorial framework and theme development, artist EOI and selection process. The team worked closely with clients RB Infrastructure, AFL NSW/ACT and Inner West Council to deliver the project.

Henson Park is located in Midjuburi (Marrickville) on Bulanaming Country, where the Gadigal and Wangal peoples have cared for and continue to care for Country for tens of thousands of years. The site holds layered histories: once home to the Standsure Brickworks—one of Sydney’s largest brickmaking operations—the former quarry later filled with water and became a popular local swimming hole before being transformed into the park and sportsground known today as the home of the Newtown Jets and AFL.

Lua’s design responds to these histories and to the living cultural landscape. Flowing forms reference the waterways of Country, while interconnected shapes speak to the ways people move across, gather on and celebrate the land. The artwork reflects both continuity and change, acknowledging deep time while embracing the site’s ongoing role as a place of community connection.

Artefact Heritage worked with DesignInc and Arenco on this public art project at Blackheath Station for TfNSW. Our artist's brief focused on exploring the many elements that make up Country and the respectful ways that people traverse the land.

As part of our heritage interpretation planning, we worked with a small number of locally connected artists to produce concept designs for the station plaza fencing, and the design by Darug artist Shay Tobin was chosen. The design, entitled 'Muru' (pathways), explored the connection between the ancient trackways used by Aboriginal people and the modern transport routes used today to cross the mountain ridge, with the design honouring the surrounding flora of the area. Shay was then engaged to finalise the artwork, working with Arenco to produce and install it as a design within the pic-perf of the fencing along the station's new entrance plaza.

Artefact Heritage worked with DesignInc and Haslin on this project at Stanmore Station for TfNSW. We developed a comprehensive Heritage Interpretation Plan, which included a public art focus. Our artist's brief focused on the many Aboriginal tracks which lie underneath today's roads and railways, with nearby Stanmore Road tracing a natural ridgeline used by the Aboriginal community to travel through Country.

We worked with a small number of locally connected artists to produce concept designs for the station's new lift foyers, and the design by Gunu Baakandji artist Maddie Gibbs was chosen. The design, entitled 'Ancient Highways', explored the routes for travel and trade across Country, and the concept of journeying through past and contemporary transport modes. Maddie was then engaged to finalise the artworks, working with Haslin to produce and install the artworks on full colour metal panels lining the walls and ceilings of the two lift foyers, with two themes of orange and yellow.

As part of the new warehouse and office development at 9 Roussell Road, Eastern Creek (Axle West), for Goodman, Artefact Heritage developed a public artwork and suite of interpretive elements that celebrate the Aboriginal heritage of the site.

The project began with the development of a Heritage Interpretation Strategy, created in close consultation with Aboriginal stakeholders, including traditional knowledge holder Jamie Eastwood. The strategy identified key cultural stories and themes for interpretation including an Acknowledgement of Dharug Country and the overarching themes: The Habitat of Reedy Creek, and Gurangatty and Babbie Burras song line. It also recommended a range of interpretive outcomes including Aboriginal graphic artwork, interpretive panels, and native plantings.

Building on these recommendations, we worked with Jamie Eastwood to design the major public artwork Connecting to Country, a striking 2 x 5 metre canvas painting now installed within the office of the new development. The artwork expresses deep cultural connections to the land and waterways of Eastern Creek.

In addition, three interpretive panels integrated into the site's landscape design convey the stories of The Habitat of Reedy Creek and Gurangatty and Babbie Burras Songline, incorporating visual elements from the main artwork to create a cohesive and meaningful cultural experience for visitors and staff.

Installed in 2024 at 90–102 Regent Street, Redfern, galara magura is a series of public artworks developed by Nicole Monks of mili mili.

Artefact Heritage worked with Richard Crookes Construction and Wee Hur to prepare a Heritage Interpretation and detailed Public Art Strategy to guide the site's public art program, aiming to contribute to the cultural vitality of the place and its surroundings. These strategies emphasised the integration of public art into the fabric of the development, ensuring it complemented and enriched both the built environment and the local community. Community consultation was a key part of this process, helping to shape a meaningful and locally grounded outcome.

As part of this project artist Nicole Monks of mili mili was commissioned, and collaborated with Local knowledge holder Uncle Charles Madden and master-craftsmen Luke Russell and Scott Luschwitz along with local Community members at the Australian National Maritime Museum workshop to develop this stunning sculpture.

On advice from Uncle Charles, Nicole developed the work in response to the local area when Gadigal people cared for Country "this area used to be salt marshes and, as water people, the local Gadigal mob spent a lot of time on the water fishing, hunting and gathering. A shell midden site and dugong skull were found by the Alexandra canal, making this a place of significance. For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, fishing is as natural and as necessary as breathing. It forms part of the deep cultural and spiritual connection many Communities have with their waters and marine resources, whether saltwater or freshwater. Fishing is a matter of cultural practice and is informed by traditional knowledge… The fish harpoon, the fish and the hunters all create the story of Galara."

The artwork is 11 stories high and illuminates at night, creating a cultural beacon for this place and marking its history within the built environment for many future generations to enjoy.

As part of upgrades to Waitara Station for Transport for NSW, Artefact Heritage partnered with Gartner Rose to deliver a Heritage Interpretation Plan with a public art focus that reflects the natural environment and enduring connection to Country in the Waitara area.

Following the development of an artist’s brief focused on local landscape and cultural themes, Artefact collaborated with a small group of locally connected artists to produce concept designs. The selected design, Invitation to Connect by Tubba-Gah artist Merindah Funnell, draws inspiration from the terrain, waterways, and native flora of the area—highlighting bottlebrush, kangaroo grass, and Sydney blue gum. These elements are united by motifs of travel and connection, referencing both movement through Country and community ties.

Merindah was then commissioned to realise the work in collaboration with Gartner Rose. The final artwork was fabricated as a series of bespoke coloured metal panels, integrated into mesh fencing at the station’s Alexandra Parade entrance and other key screening areas—creating a vibrant and culturally resonant arrival experience.

As part of the redevelopment of a former City of Sydney depot in Redfern, Artefact Heritage was engaged by St George Community Housing to prepare key heritage reports, including an Aboriginal Archaeological Survey, a Statement of Heritage Impact, and an Aboriginal Heritage Design Integration Report. These informed the integration of public art into the design of the new 18-storey, 162-unit residential building, now providing social and affordable housing in the heart of Redfern.

As part of the project's commitment to cultural expression, our Interpretation team collaborated with the late Joe Hurst, a respected Aboriginal artist and member of Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative. Drawing on locally significant stories and landscapes, Hurst developed a series of public artworks for the site around the theme ‘The Way Home', referencing the area's history as a traditional meeting place where waterways once converged.

11 Gibbons Street won the Master Builders Association NSW ‘Excellence in State' award 2022, the Urban Taskforce Development Excellence Award Affordable Development 2021, and was recently heralded by the Government Architect NSW as a flagship project with a Connecting with Country approach.

As part of the development of an 18-storey mixed-use development at 104–116 Regent Street, Redfern, Artefact Heritage was engaged by Wee Hur and Richard Crooks (Limited) to prepare a Heritage Interpretation Plan and Public Art Strategy. The strategy focused on interpreting the Aboriginal cultural values of Redfern through public art and outlined the design direction for the artwork in consultation with local artists and cultural knowledge holders.

Curated by Nicole Monks, the selected public artwork concept draws on the theme of weaving practices—a key principle from the draft Aboriginal Design Principles for the site and a nod to cultural traditions often carried out by Aboriginal women. Monks sought to highlight stories of craft, care, and resource gathering.

Monks selected the work Mana-gubra (collecting mangrove worm) by Dharug artist Leanne Tobin as the central feature. Originally created in 2017, the work depicts women collecting gubra (mangrove worms) in woven dilly bags—reflecting the deep relationship between Aboriginal women and the estuarine landscapes of the Redfern area. The artwork honours the marine-rich swamplands that once thrived here, where local clans gathered food such as oysters, crabs, and mangrove worms, and used native grasses to weave nets, baskets, and bags.

Realised on the building’s external façade, Mana-gubra celebrates the often-overlooked contributions of Aboriginal women, weaving together stories of survival, cultural knowledge, and connection to Country in a vibrant and respectful visual form.