Artwork Along the Eastlink

Artwork Along the Eastlink

To better understand this post I will have to go into a bit of history on the Eastlink.  The Eastlink is a tollway that connects the Northeast Suburbs of Melbourne to the Southeast Suburbs of Melbourne.  It also connects three smaller freeways, the Monash, Eastern and Frankston Freeways, which allows motorist to save time.  It provides a new, quicker way to travel around Melbourne.  Having used this tollway many times, I can assure you it is worth the toll charges because navigating through the suburbs of Melbourne is quite painful due to the train and trams that run right down the middle of the roads. 

The Eastlink was included in the Melbourne Transportation Plan back in 1969, but it took 39 years and $2.5 billion to make this convience a reality.  Below is a map of the Eastlink.  Now to the artwork . . .

When traveling along the Eastlink you will find a $5.5 million collection of artwork.  According to research on the internet it was a, “gift to the people of Victoria and represents the largest and most ambitious commitment to public art on a major roadway.”  It was also referred to as, “a multi-million dollar collection of public artworks as an integral element of the motorways distinctive urban design.”  There are four pieces of artwork that comprise this $5.5 million collection. 

The first is “Ellipsoidal Freeway Sculpture” by James Angus, the sculpture comprises 24 green, blue and white coloured modular ellipsoids varying from 1-3 metres in diameter and up to 5 metres in height, covering a distance of 36 metres.

The second is “Public Art Strategy” by Emily Floyd, the 13 metre high, 19 metre long painted steel sculpture depicts a giant blackbird with a wing span of 7.5 metres, overlooking a yellow worm.

The third is “Hotel” by Callum Morton, Hotel is a large scale model of a high rise hotel comprising a steel structural frame with concrete and glass panels, standing 20 metres high, 12 metres long and 5 metres wide. Some of its windows will be lit at night with solar power.

The forth is “Desiring Machine” by Simeon Nelson, Desiring Machine, resembles a fallen tree or tower and is made from galvanised steel plate. It stretches its branches 36 metres along the side of the motorway.

This next two pictures are not a pieces of artwork, but are two unusal looking pedestrian walkways over the Eastlink.  I believe they show the “distinctive urban design” of the motorway.

For newcomers like us, it definitely makes driving on the Eastlink interesting.  I believe they should have scrapped the $5.5 million attempt to enhance the “distinctive urban design” and gave a toll free motorway as a “gift to the people of Victoria”.