The City of Victor Harbor has commissioned a piece of public art, called Connection, from local artist Matt Turley for the newly developed Railway Plaza.

His career as a public artist has blossomed over the past two years with commissions from the City of Holdfast Bay, Brighton Jetty Sculptures, and United Communities and Kildare College.

In June this year, the City of Victor Harbor commissioned the artist to create a piece on the Whalers Well at the bottom of the Bluff. 

Matt’s background in designing, fabricating and commissioning products and projects for clients in the building, marine, mining, government and defence sectors has equipped him well to design and deliver large scale outcomes for the public realm.

In creating a piece for Railway Plaza, he drew inspiration from viewing the steam locomotive as a myriad of unique parts coming together to work in harmony.  

Connection explores the notion of individual entities, unique in their own design and purpose, coming together, connecting, to create something greater.  

It forms a sense of place, while remaining true to the history that inspired its design.

The City of Victor Harbor’s Arts and Culture Advisory Group, who selected the work through a competitive commissioning process, found the scale of the work impressive.

Connection presents multiple opportunities for interaction from children, to those looking for a great photo opportunity. 

Redevelopment of the Railway Terrace area aims to showcase Victor Harbor’s heritage listed buildings and Moreton Bay fig trees within a vibrant, high-use and accessible community space that can transform to host major festivals and events alongside Warland Reserve.

It is underpinned by water sensitive urban design initiatives that support storm water reticulation, underground water storage tanks, water filtering and reuse methods.  

The upgrade is designed to transition seamlessly from adjoining Mainstreet Precinct Upgrade.

Full details of the redevelopment, including changes to traffic conditions, may be found on the City of Victor Harbor website.