Images of the artworks available upon request.

Commissioners:
VicUrban
Walker Corporation

Commissioning
Managers:
Global Art Projects

Collection:
Wyndham City Council

Photographer:
Andrew Lloyd

Download Media Release PDF

Christine Eid is a Melbourne artist and researcher and the recipient of a State Library of Victoria Creative Fellowship (2009). Her research and inter–
disciplinary arts practice TOW was established in 2001. Her works have been shown in solo and group exhibitions and are held in private collections in Melbourne, Brisbane and London.

Banham and Eid carried out extensive research, interviewing local people
and visiting places of interest such as Point Cook Homestead, the RAAF Museum, the Point Cook Coastal Park and a local school, where they asked children what they hope Point Cook will be in the future. “It was important to us
that this project isn’t just about the past of Point Cook, but about its present
and future as well,” Banham explains.

Banham and Eid hope that members of the community will pause to read
the stories as they stroll down Main Street. “We like the idea of discovery
– we want people to experience the art in their own time and place.”

The artists have launched the website
circularprojects.com which includes more detail about the stories, background information, and further activities.

The eight cast-iron artworks were created by Stephen Banham and Christine Eid, who want to get people in Point Cook thinking and talking about their local community.

Banham and Eid were commissioned by VicUrban and developer Walker Corporation to create unique public artworks for the new Point Cook development. Far from a typical piece of public art, the artists have created
unusual works informed by the local community and its stories.

The project – aptly titled ‘Circular’ – consists of eight pieces installed in
the pavements at pedestrian crossings in Main Street. They tell stories about the ways of life of local Indigenous people;
the history of a famous local racehorse, Newminster; the tragic tale of a local pastoralist who lost his sweetheart to his own brother; and the planes, fauna and flora of the region.

As part of a visit to the Point Cook Coastal Park and Cheetham Wetlands, we used the Parks Victoria library facilities to identify bird life and flora recorded in the park, which we discussed with park rangers.

We consulted the manager of the Point Cook Library about the library’s role within the community, participated in a Conversations in English class and observed a Rhyme Time activity. We toured the Point Cook Community Learning Centre and learned about the wide range of activities and facilities available.

We enjoyed a visit to a grade 5-6 class at Carranballac P-9 College, Boardwalk campus. The students made drawings of Point Cook in the future, and discussed their hopes for the area. When the project is complete we will visit the school to explain the stages of the project, our approach, why the students’ participation was important, and the final outcome.