‘Many Hands’

by Claire Foxton

SITE

Mason & Main
Merrylands

CLIENT

Coronation Property

ARTIST

Claire Foxotn

PHOTOGRAPHER

Sally Clarke

Exploring the Spirit of Place Through Art

Authority Creative have teamed up with Coronation Property to integrate public art onto the hoarding of their new masterplanned development Mason & Main, Merrylands.

Artist and designer, Claire Foxton is well-known for her extensive body of public art found across Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. With a distinctive mix of abstract and realistic techniques, Claire’s painted mural works explore a site-specific narrative often concerned with the connectedness of people and place. A perfect synthesis for Coronation Property’s ambitions for public art at Mason & Main.

‘Many Hands’ is the title of her latest work that features on the hoarding perimeter around the Merrylands development site and incorporates a series of abstract work and vivid realism, this time representing the hands of Merrylands locals. These ‘portraits’ represent the strong sense of history and place in the Merrylands community and are symbolic of the many hands that have built and define this incredible place – now and well into the future. The artwork, ‘Many Hands’ forms the basis for the precinct identity and have been layered across printed collateral and throughout the sales booth.

‘Many Hands’ came together over several weeks and when speaking with Claire about her time spent painting in Merrylands, she explained “This project has been wonderful on so many levels. I have met people from so many different cultural backgrounds - many of which have businesses here - who have welcomed me, shared their stories, and given me a real sense of what this community is all about.”

“A proud Maori man, Royale, has stopped by most days and selflessly shared with me aspects of his culture. He explained, without any prompting, that my paintings remind him of the phrase ‘Ringa Wera’ which in Maori culture is another way of saying kitchenhand. In a broader sense, it means the people in the back providing, making, and serving with love. And that summed up perfectly this whole project. It is about honouring the many people that come together and give a place its heart and soul”

- Claire Foxton

A COMMITMENT TO THE CREATIVE LIFE

Public art helps build a community’s sense of pride and elevates developments from being simply about creating buildings to genuinely delivering places for people. It creates opportunities for communities to engage with the artworks and celebrate the creative life of the local community and surrounds. Public art has become an important element in creating dynamic places that people identify with and as a design-driven firm, Coronation Property take pride in creating places people love to live.