- Address
- a. 49 Watton Street,
b.101 Watton Street,
c. 28 Watton Street,
d. 133 Watton Street
Acquired by: One Per Cent for Art, capital works
About the Artwork:
A series of bronze works in various locations around Watton St, consisting of:
Dancing Platypi: Representing the natural wildlife of the Werribee River
Accordion Player with Shoppers: These sculptures represent the city life of Wyndham, industry, businesses, shops and social activity - the heart of the CBD. The figure on the left looks back towards the dog and bird at the previous site, while the figure with the accordion looks forward towards the next site. The larger figure plays the accordion in celebration of the many immigrants from Southern Italy between the first and second world wars; who brought with them many varied skills and contributed considerably to the changing culture of Wyndham. The two smaller figures are holding bags between them, possibly alluding to days of old, when people carried produce home from the market gardens. Alternatively they may be contemporary shoppers, or one bag may be a briefcase, illustrating the business aspect of the CBD.
Dogs with a Bird: The dog may be seen as a reference to the early days of Victorian settlement when sheep grazing was prevalent. Alternatively, the dog may be seen as man’s companion, a loyal friend. The bird represents flight and freedom, growth and peace.
“My vision for the commission was to create a series of works that relate strongly to each other and their environment, and reference the past, present and the future of Werribee. The placement of the works is vital, as the separate sites weave back and forth across Watton St, creating a visual ribbon, or snake-like effect, linking all of the sites from Duncans Road to Wedge Street. Each of the four separate sites looks toward each other.” – Anne Ross