Petersham Street

Petersham Escarpment by Simon Reece

www.simonreece.com.au

Petersham Escarpment is a ceramic mural by artist Simon Reece, reflective of escarpments and rock faces of the Blue Mountains and the sandstone bedrock that grounds Sydney. A rich earthy low relief mural will interface with greenscaping in the new Petersham Street Plaza, creating something of an antidote to the hardscaping prevalent along Parramatta Road. This work responds to community consultation that revealed a strong desire for the Parramatta Road environment to be greened, and “soft-scaped”. Simon's mural will see him hand form, glaze and kiln fire approximately 350 large tiles (40 by 40 centimetres), then affixed to a 23 metre long purpose built steel frame.

Photo credit: Silversalt Photography

Artist statement

The mural will be a continuation of my work that is reflective of escarpments and rock faces close to Sydney and where I live in the Blue Mountains. Very coarse textural surfaces with sandstone, orange and green hues primarily. The green glaze will be atop the mural and running down so as to look like a rock face with forest above. The wall behind will be painted a deep blue colour. This mural will enhance the site by creating a space that is reminiscent of the original landscape, with a tangible and visceral connection to the Sydney Basin and surrounds. The elements of the escarpment face, buttresses and rocks will be arranged to create a space that is naturally welcoming and practical; making a cosy nook or grotto for sitting, reflecting or just chilling out with family, friends or alone.