Rain Coming
Consultation has concluded
Image: (Left) Artist impression showing a series of black cockatoos flying to the park, (Right) and collected memory fragments sandblasted into existing sandstone.
On the 10th of December, this public artwork by Alex Miles was launched by the Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Helen Burnett. The art work draws together Alex’s concept for a series of cockatoos flying down from the hills, with a number of sandblasted text fragments drawn from stories of the flood provided by local residents, business owners and hospital employees. The work was fabricated by local business Aircon Industries, who were heavily affected by the 2018 flood and installed by Spidertech, a Hobart business specialising in work at height, with employees who regularly climb at the nearby Freuhauf climbing wall.
A series of full length extracts from stories provided via Your Say Hobart or the postcard campaign were read at the launch of the artwork.
Thankyou to all participants in the story gathering campaign.
In May of 2018, Hobart recorded more than 100mm of rain in a single day, doubling the previous record. Heavy rains affected many people, particularly those directly in the flood path along the Hobart Rivulet. This extreme weather event saw the closing of 30 State Schools, all Catholic Schools and most private Schools in the region. The Supreme court stopped sitting, funerals were postponed as flash flooding hit the City and beyond.
You are invited to share your account of the floods as part of a City of Hobart public art project that commemorates the event and aims to connect residents and strengthen community through a sharing of experience.
Please share your account of the floods below or pick up and return postcards at participating South Hobart businesses.
Selected responses will be incorporated as part of this public art work for the Hobart Rivulet Park. Short sections of text, drawn from your accounts of the flood, will be sandblasted into existing paving, as indicated in the artist's impression shown above.
Submissions will be collected until the end of September 2019.
This project has been jointly funded by the Australian and Tasmanian Governments under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements.