AN incredible visual projection capturing Parramatta’s rich heritage and history is set to enhance the escarpment facing Charles Street Square at Parramatta Quay.
Ebb and Flow, a digital artwork by Australian artist Craig Walsh, spans 30 metres wide and 10 metres high and tells the stories of Parramatta and its people, the evolving landscape and various flora and fauna that call Parramatta home.
City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Cr Martin Zaiter said the artwork, which will be projected onto the escarpment opposite the quay, is the perfect welcome to anyone arriving via Parramatta River in the evening.
“This is a larger-than-life animation on a scale not seen anywhere else in Western Sydney – and a fitting addition to our multimillion gateway to the City,” Cr Zaiter said.
“Charles Street Square is not just a first-class arrival experience for people who catch the ferry to Parramatta, it’s a gathering place for locals and visitors to enjoy and a public space where people can connect.
“This is the final piece of the puzzle in the delivery of Charles Street Square, a warm welcome to everyone travelling along our river foreshore to get to our CBD.”
Internationally renowned artist Craig Walsh, who collaborated with Dharug Cultural Custodians on the video projection artwork, said Parramatta’s rapid urban growth was the inspiration behind the piece.
“The development of this artwork represented a rare opportunity to create a digital site-specific public artwork responsive to the immediate landscape and the diverse communities that occupy it,” Mr Walsh said.
“The use of video projection enables the existing landform to evolve and change by night, reflecting the environmental and human influence on this place.”
The video animation is layered contemporary art and cultural storytelling, highlighting the cultural and physical changes of the land that influenced our understanding of our geographical place over time.
Best viewed from Charles Street Square with plenty of shelter and seating, the 30-minute multilayered video can be enjoyed each evening from 8-11pm in summer and 6-9pm in winter.
The public art project is a part of Council’s vision to transform Charles Street Square and revitalise Parramatta River’s foreshore.
