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Woolloomooloo

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Management of public monuments and artworks

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Woolloomooloo Mural Project Records, 1979-1984

Description

Unique IDAS-1262DateBetween 1st January 1979 and 31st December 1984Date qualifiercircaFormatPhotograph - PrintPublication - PostcardComputer - DVDComputer - CD-ROMPhotograph - NegativePhotograph - TransparencyLoose PapersAudio - DigitalShort descriptionThis series contains records relating to the Woolloomooloo Mural Project which was conceived by activist artists Merilyn Fairskye and Michiel Dolk in 1979. DescriptionThis series was acquired through Public Art Conservation in 2022. The collection of original material had been given to Public Art by artists Merilyn Fairskye and Michiel Dolk.

In 1979 Merilyn Fairskye and Michiel Dolk sought and gained approval from the Woolloomooloo Residents Action Group to paint a series of murals to be attached to nine of the pylons of the Eastern Suburbs Railway. By 1980 they had obtained grants which were matched by Sydney City Council with dollar-for-dollar funding. They began to commission collaborating artists and in 1981 the first murals were started in a warehouse on the corner of Harmer and Forbes Street in Woolloomooloo. The subject matter of the murals would be a direct response to the 1970s Government’s plans for slum clearance and pro development for the area, as well as growing community activism resulting in the Green Bans.

The project consisted of eight murals depicting the history of Woolloomooloo and eight 'renewable billboards', intended to be replaced annually. The first set of renewable billboards were painted onto heavy litho paper with Collies offset inks which were then glued to the metal panels. The idea was that these could be pasted over with new images on billboard paper every twelve months. Later the artists realised how costly and labour intensive the replacement would be, and how short-lived the adhesive durability of paper glued on expanding and contracting metal. As a consequence, the first series of ink on paper billboards were removed in 1984, and a new set of six murals painted with enamel on metal were commissioned the same year.

The murals are painted on Zincalume panels pop riveted to a steel frame. All the murals were removed by the NSW Government in 2005 due to their very poor condition and placed in storage. In 2008 the City responded to community concerns and commissioned an assessment of their condition, their significance, and options for reinstatement. It was determined that the renewable murals should not be retained and the historical murals, being of high historical significance, be retained, conserved and reinstated.

Following the decision to reinstate the historical murals the City consulted with the artists on the conservation of the eight historical panels. In keeping with the nature of the artworks as documents of a moment in time, the artists advised that they would not repaint the murals and that they were not to be retouched. Preservation works were undertaken by conservators to repair the panels in line with the artists instructions and the historical panels were reinstated.

Since their reinstatement in 2009 the City has monitored the condition of the murals on an ongoing basis and carried out annual stabilisation works. Given the materiality of the murals and the artist’s position it was understood that the lifespan of the artworks would be limited even with the City’s ongoing care as the painted surface continues to degrade over time.

The following eight of the sixteen murals were identified by Sydney Artefacts Conservation and heritage consultant Michael Bogle as being of high significance:
- The Waterfront
- Wallamullah Land of Plenty
- Victoria Street
- A Balcony View [1900-1982]
- FEDFA Green Bans
- BLF Green Bans
- Passing Through Customs
- Women of Woolloomooloo

The murals are very important to the history of Sydney, Woolloomooloo, and the local community. To ensure the legacy of these works is maintained the City has collected information about the history of these important works (oral histories, archival photography and video footage) that will be featured on the City’s website as part of communicating the artworks as part of the City Art collection.

The series includes photographic prints, negatives and transparenices documenting the creation and installation of the murals. In late 2024 Merilyn Fairskye made a selection of these images for digitisation. Her selection has been added to the catalogue. Some images have been cleaned and cropped.

The series also contains a video and audio files from the opening launch event for the Woolloomooloo Murals at Tom Uren Square on 10 July 1982. Sound and video were recorded separately at the launch, as was common with low budget 16mm film shoots at the time. The film itself, to be called Walls, was never finished.

There is also a box containing folders of loose papers which include interpretive materials and original correspondence relating to the project.LanguageEnglish (eng)

Photograph

The Children's Mural, Eastern Suburbs Railway pylon Woolloomooloo, 1982

Passing Through Customs, Woolloomooloo Mural, Eastern Suburbs Railway pylon Woolloomooloo, 1982

Invitation - Official unveiling of the Woolloomooloo Mural Project, Tom Uren Square Woolloomooloo, 1982

A Balcony View, Woolloomooloo Mural, Eastern Suburbs Railway pylons Woolloomooloo, 1982

BLF Green Bans, Woolloomooloo Mural, Eastern Suburbs Railway pylons Woolloomooloo, 1982

Passing Through Customs, Woolloomooloo Mural, Eastern Suburbs Railway pylons Woolloomooloo, 1982

Women of Woolloomooloo, Woolloomooloo Mural, Eastern Suburbs Railway pylons Woolloomooloo, 1982

Victoria Street, Woolloomooloo Mural, Eastern Suburbs Railway pylons Woolloomooloo, 1982

Woolloomooloo murals, Eastern Suburbs Railway pylons Woolloomooloo, 1982

Not Nuclear, Woolloomooloo Mural Project title billboard, Eastern Suburbs Railway pylons Woolloomooloo, 1982

Woolloomooloo murals, Eastern Suburbs Railway pylons Woolloomooloo, 1982

Nuclear Space Invaders, Woolloomooloo Mural, Harmer Street Woolloomooloo, 1982

Save Rainforests, Woolloomooloo Mural, Harmer Street Woolloomooloo, 1982

Choke, Woolloomooloo Mural, Harmer Street Woolloomooloo, 1982

Woolloomooloo murals, Eastern Suburbs Railway pylons Woolloomooloo, 1982

Boy Charlton Pool, Woolloomooloo Mural, Harmer Street Woolloomooloo, 1982

Installation of The Waterfront, Woolloomooloo Mural, Eastern Suburbs Railway pylon Woolloomooloo, 1982

Victoria Street, Woolloomooloo Mural, Eastern Suburbs Railway pylon Woolloomooloo, 1982

Installation of The Waterfront, Woolloomooloo Mural, Eastern Suburbs Railway pylon Woolloomooloo, 1982

Opening of the Woolloomooloo Murals, Tom Uren Square, Cathedral and Bourke Streets Woolloomooloo, 1982

Installation of the murals, Eastern Suburbs Railway pylons Woolloomooloo, 1982

Installation of The Waterfront, Woolloomooloo Mural, Eastern Suburbs Railway pylon Woolloomooloo, 1982

Boy Charlton Pool, Woolloomooloo Mural, Eastern Suburbs Railway pylon Woolloomooloo, 1984

Audio

Audio - Vic Fitzgerald and Merilyn Fairskye speaking at the opening launch event for Woolloomooloo Mural Project, 1982

Audio - Joe Owens speaking at the opening launch event for Woolloomooloo Mural Project, 1982

Audio - Colin James speaking at the opening launch event for Woolloomooloo Mural Project, 1982

Audio - Tony Reeves speaking at the opening launch event for Woolloomooloo Mural Project, 1982

Audio - Jerry Leonard, MC for the opening launch event for Woolloomooloo Mural Project, 1982

Item

Pamphlet - Opening of the Woolloomooloo Murals, Tom Uren Square Woolloomooloo, 1982

Place

Woolloomooloo Mural Project

Video

Video - Opening launch event for Woolloomooloo Mural Project, Cathedral and Bourke Streets Woolloomooloo, 1982

Access

Public access statusRestricted original (digital copy available)

Identification and Arrangement

System of arrangementNone discernible

Digitisation

Digitisation statusPartially digitised

Data Quality

Authenticity & integrityThis series was donated. The donors provided information to the City Archives when this collection was acquired. It has formed the basis of the descriptive information added by volunteers and City of Sydney staff.

Relationships

CollectionWoolloomoolooRelated activitiesManagement of public monuments and artworks

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Woolloomooloo Mural Project Records, 1979-1984