3 Bridges
3 bridges, Studio Chris Fox + Studio Mike Daly
The implementation of three strategic bridge crossings over the Powells Creek corridor, located at Lorraine Street, Hamilton Street and George Street. These three bridges will be utilised for both pedestrian and cycle way accessibility, whilst connecting both Canada Bay and Strathfield communities. The intention of this commission was to result in light-based public artworks on these three bridges, referencing the local history, community and environment.
These light-based artworks generate a visual focal point for cyclists and pedestrians, providing a unique sense of place. Contemporary and innovative these public artworks create a unique signature to the surrounding area.
Each bridge was allocated a theme:
- Lorraine Street bridge to reflect the diverse and inclusive Strathfield community. Home to a multiculturally diverse community, more than half of Strathfield’s residents were born overseas, while 64% of residents speak a language other than English at home.
- Hamilton Street bridge to respond to the sustainable environment of Mason Park Wetlands. Spanning more than twelve hectares, these wetlands consist of a salt marsh, mangrove forest and freshwater pond. Both local and migratory birds utilise this invaluable habitat; with some birds travelling from as far as China, Japan, Siberia and Alaska.
- George Street Bridge to acknowledge the history of Arnott’s and the impact of this business on Strathfield. The Arnott’s Biscuit factory operated at Homebush between 1908 to 1997, employing thousands of people, many of which were local residents.
https://www.studiochrisfox.com/
https://mikedaly.au/
1. Flyway Lorraine Street Bridge, Strathfield Studio Chris Fox + Studio Mike Daly light installation, 2023
Video of Light Installation
Artist’s statement
“For millennia, Curlew Sandpipers flew every year from these wetlands to Siberia and back again; a dangerous 27,000 km migration that takes over two months.
Flyway is a light installation that visualises these epic journeys at 300,000 times normal speed, carefully tracing the birds’ eternal ritual of departing in March to mid-April and returning between August and November.
As one of the most critically endangered migratory birds in Australia, the Curlew Sandpiper hasn’t been spotted at the Mason Park Wetland for over a decade. However, through actions such as improving tidal flushing and preventing mangrove encroachment, it is hoped that the Curlew Sandpiper and other intercontinental migratory shorebirds will return.
Most migratory birds travel by night because it is safer, cooler and less turbulent. As artificial light can attract and disorient migrating birds, Flyway illuminates at dusk and dawn for a limited duration and features warm coloured light with controlled brightness levels.” Chris Fox
2. Carrier Wave Hamilton Street Bridge, Strathfield Studio Chris Fox + Studio Mike Daly light installation, 2023
Artist statement
“For tens of thousands of years, the Wangal people developed and passed down ancient knowledge systems that are grounded in sustainable living and a deep care for Country. More recently, migrants to Strathfield have brought other perspectives and knowledge systems to the area.
Carrier Wave is a light installation that conveys the depth and wisdom that these diverse cultures bring to Strathfield through a continuous transmission of Morse code: the earliest form of highspeed international communication.
The Morse code messages communicate fifty sage proverbs that originate from the most-reported ancestral backgrounds of Strathfield residents in the 2021 census.” Chris Fox
3. Commute, George Street Bridge, Strathfield Studio Chris Fox + Studio Mike Daly light installation, 2025
Video of Light Installation
Artist statement
“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” – William Faulkner.
The Arnott’s Biscuit Factory opened here in 1908 on sparsely populated Wangal country. The factory was the largest in the Southern Hemisphere, employing 2,500 workers at its peak - the vast proportion of the local community.
In the years since, the local population lived through two world wars and the Great Depression. Since the late 1940s, the community has diversified, with more than half of today’s local residents born overseas.
'Commute’ visualises the daily journeys of thousands of people employed at the factory during its 89-year history. The light installation activates twice per day, with ghost-like forms migrating towards the site at dawn and away from it at dusk.
Connected through time, we walk side by side with community members who came before us. Though times have changed, their movements mirror our own.” Chris Fox