Kulbardi Season

Chris Nixon, Kamsani Bin Salleh, Luke Davey and Tilt Industrial Design

Title: Kulbardi Season

Artist/s: Chris Nixon, Kamsani Bin Salleh and Tilt Industrial Design

Year: 2023

Site: East Perth Station, Public Transport Operations Control Centre Building

Location Detail: Main artwork is installed on the Eastern facade of the building, overlooking the rail corridor.  There are also sculptural elements in the garden beds and a painted artistic treatments applied to the concrete barriers around the building entry.

Medium: Coloured stainless steel, powdercoated aluminium, acrylic paint

Description:

The artwork Kulbardi Season interprets the theme of ‘signal' through a layered painted treatment overlaid with sculptural forms. Playing with reflection, depth, light and shadow, it reveals multiple experiences and perspectives. The kulbardi, symbolising the caretaker of the land, is pivotal; it connects to the railway system and the building's role in ensuring safe travel. Composed of numerous feathers, the depiction of a kulbardi in flight represents the intertwining of individual and communal journeys. The artwork reflects the golden West Australian morning light on the eastfacing facade, evoking the morning call of the magpie and the energy of the railway network in the mornings.

Surrounding the kulbardi, poolgarla blooms are arranged into the formation of the Seven Sisters, signalling health, well-being and journeys across time, to connect the past and present. The distinct visual language is extended to ground level, where poolgarla blooms emerge from the planters and iconography tells stories of seasonal change, as if the building emerged from the artwork.