Mural Arts Program
Image: Artists Sam Bloor (L) and Trevor Bly (R) at work making “Heathridge”, 2022 at Admiral Park, as part of the City of Joondalup’s Mural Arts program. Photo: Shot by Thom.
City of Joondalup Mural Programs
The City’s Mural Arts Program features a range of mural styles that reflect the diversity of the local community, region and identity of Joondalup. It also provides community access to high-quality mural arts for place-making, education and appreciation purposes.
The City commissions murals through two program streams:
- Artist-driven mural programs, whereby an artist is commissioned to install a mural in reference to the location and the surrounding community. This is through a curated shortlisting process or a public expression of interest.
- Community-driven murals engaging the community through programs such as the City’s Schools Connections Program in the design and installation of the mural.
The City has over 20 active murals across City buildings, community centres and public outdoor locations. Previous commissioned artists include Amok Island, Horatio T. Birdbath, Hayley Welsh, Jon Ismailovski, Sara Winfield, Mike Bramford, Emma Margetts, Elizabeth Maruffo, David Ledger, Trevor Bly and Fraser Greg, Anya Brock, Andrew Fraser, Peter Ryan, Kyle Hughes Odgers, Jeremy Lane, Kerise Delcoure, Esty Nagy, Jack Bromell, Darren Hutchens and Trevor Bly and Sam Bloor.
Featured Murals
Community Sporting Facility, Admiral Park, Heathridge
“Heathridge”, 2022, Trevor Bly & Sam Bloor (pictured)
Photo: Christophe Canato
This mural investigates the suburban narrative and how the mechanics of suburbia create places rather than spaces. As a resident of Joondalup, living in Craigie, Trevor Bly explores the links between place-making and the activation of urban buildings and how this impacts our understanding of the suburbs, identity and home.
Bly and fellow artist, Sam Bloor, have depicted local observations of suburban life, observed by the artists during weekend visits to the oval, and how it is activated with families watching local community sports. The artists have incorporated three design features into this work: the use of suburban iconography (the chair), place-making through text (Heathridge) and a sports drill element (the bullseye game). These three features highlight the Heathridge neighbourhood and how leisure and sport is valued in this community.
Falklands Park, Kinross
“Edges”, 2021, by Darren Hutchens 2021 (pictured)
A response to the idea of “the edge” and surrounding landscapes, flora and fauna, this mural was inspired by a collaboration with kids from The Edge Youth Centre. The mural explores the edges around us, the places we inhabit and the boundaries we place on the natural world. The distant horizon, the sun and sky, waves breaking on the shoreline, rocky outcrops, sand dunes and the coastal highway form the composition of the mural. Contours of the land and surrounding lake systems are overlapped with stylised depictions of endemic bird and plant species such as Balga, Banksia, Zamia, Grevillea and Kangaroo Paw.
Central Park Toilet Block, Joondalup
“Rhythm of the Lake”, 2021, by Jack Bromell (pictured)
This mural is a striking homage to the beauty of the natural environment within the City of Joondalup. The artist’s choice of royal blue as the dominant colour of the work represents both water and sky. Over this vibrant background appears illustrations of various leaves and flowers from native local plant species, including Eucalyptus recipients, Melaleuca preissiana and Eucalyptus todtiana. Native bird species also feature, including Eastern Great Egrets and the White-faced Heron, two prominent, native water birds, and two Tree Martin Swallows, one perched and one in flight.
POPP Tables
Neil Hawkins Park, Joondalup
“Flight of the Black Cockatoo”, 2020, by Karise Delcoure
Picnic Cove, Edgewater
“Carnaby’s Wa-ee-lah Song”, 2020, by Karise Delcoure
Geneff Park, Sorrento
“Rain Bird”, 2020, by Karise Delcoure (pictured)
These murals feature birds and plants native to Western Australia whilst also celebrating the landscape, energy, and movement in each of these very active community spaces. The birds are captured in a movement of flight to reflect the movement and energy of the ping pong games. Repeated patterns, reflecting shapes from the local landscapes and weather patterns, are also incorporated into each of the mural designs.
The ‘hero’ of each mural is the Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo, which is an endangered, protected and much-loved bird in Western Australia. The artist’s inclusion of the Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo is particularly relevant in the wake of Australia’s devastating bushfires in early 2020. The bushfires at Yanchep during this time destroyed the nesting and feeding grounds of a large colony, putting the species at further risk. The series also features banksias which are a source of food for the Carnaby’s Black Cockatoos.
Marmion Anglican Aquatic Centre (MAAC) Car Park, Sorrento
“Marine Life of Marmion Marine Park”, 2016, by Amok Island (pictured)
This mural depicts a selection of iconic marine fauna found in the Marmion Marine Park area from invertebrates, crustaceans and molluscs, fish and marine mammals. The artist conducted extensive research, including spending time in Marmion Marine Park photographing marine creatures and drew inspiration from vintage scientific identification charts in the creation of the design.
Eddystone Underpass, Heathridge
“Untitled”, 2013 by Jon Ismailovski (pictured)
Ismailovski’s 40-metre-long mural combines fish and fowl, flora and fauna, in monochromatic tone as though Hieronymus Bosch was designing a set for the Wiggles on black and white TV. A hybrid mix of creatures all co-habit in the strange world of Ismailovski’s mural, which addresses the hierarchy of humans and animals, and playfully undermines the control that humans have in this world.
To receive information about the Mural Arts Program and future callouts, sign up for the Arts in focus eNewsletter.
For further information please email visualarts@joondalup.wa.gov.au or call 9400 4000.