LOCAL ART, MAPPED OUT
Take a stroll through Garramilla/Darwin and deep dive into the public artworks of local artists, with navigation made easy through City of Darwin’s newly launched interactive Public Art Story Map.
WORDS TIERNEY WHITE
IMAGE CHARLIE BLISS
THERE'S NO SECRET we punch when it comes to local creativity, and through City of Darwin’s Creative Strategy 2024-2030, local artists are championed and showcased through a series of commissioned public works on display across the four wards – Chan, Lyons, Richardson, and Waters.
Making it easier for locals and visitors to experience the works, the new digital Public Art Story Map – accessible on phone, tablet or computer – highlights their masterpieces and provides insight into the stories and artists behind them.
The works are often commissioned to beautify what would otherwise be fairly uninspiring structures, such as toilet blocks, water tanks, seating areas, building entrances, and more. You’ll also find sculptures of local flora and fauna popping up in parks and playgrounds, such as jellyfish, jabirus, and of course, crocodiles.
Some of the works highlight important cultural stories and history for Larrakia People, giving site-specific connections to Country context, and providing visitors the chance to be informed about the cultural significance of certain areas or the wildlife found within them.
Larrakia artist Denise Quall teamed up with designer Ciella Williams on several water tank works, including Gakinga (Magpie Goose) in Yanyula Park, Wulagi.
“Gakinga welcomes Balnba, the Wet season. This is the time of rejuvenation. For this piece, I worked alongside digital designer Ciella Williams, who did an amazing job of creating brilliant designs with my artworks,” Quall says.
“She incorporated my works of land and ocean animals, as well as background colours of the Larrakia Country and sea.”
Darwin-born Caleb Schatz – aka Caleb Dude – has become a much loved regular on the Darwin Street Art Festival circuit since his debut as a 16-year-old. Commissioned by City of Darwin’s LAUNCH program, he painted large-scale work Match Point! at the Aralia Street Tennis Court in Nightcliff, tailoring his work to fit the space in which it exists.
“This artwork design is largely informed by the context it lives in. I wouldn’t normally paint a tennis mural. I wanted to engage the community who come here to play and add to their experience,” he says.
“Usually, I love seeing people around town reacting to my artwork for the first time, but with this one, I just want people to come and whack as many balls as possible against it.”
Lord Mayor Peter Styles says the existence of public art connects us to people and place.
“Public art is what makes our city great, it reflects who we are and helps tell our story. City of Darwin is proud to fund, develop and promote public art, and we encourage everyone to engage with this and listen to the voices of the artists that shape this place.”
The interactive map features short video interviews with the artists, making the stories behind their works super easy to digest – it’s also really nice to put a face to the name!
By clicking on the highlighted pins on the map, you’re shown imagery of the artworks in situ, a rundown of the process and creatives behind them, with the option to check out their video interviews.
In a world where finding clear and concise information can be overwhelming, this handy interactive map ensures background info and context is found in the one place, raising the profiles of local artists that call Darwin home, so jump online and check out some sweet public art. We reckon that’s a day well spent.
