Memory Markers
Artist: Anne Neil
Asset Type: Public Art
Year of Work: 2006
Location: South Western Entrance to Stirling Gardens, intersection of Barrack Street and The Esplanade
Provenance: City of Perth
Front Inscription
In the late nineteenth century the gardens flourished.
On 24 November, 1898, the West Australian newspaper described the grounds as having "Well kept lawns, covered with soft spongy sward tempt the visitor to laze luxuriously on the couch spread so invitingly , while around him on every side are trim, well-kept beds of flowers, divine is shape, brilliant in bloom, delicious in perfume, and varying the more generally known forms with many that are rare and equally beautiful. Well laid out paths wind in and about the trees and lawns, and everywhere care, intelligence, skill and a remarkable capability for extracting every possible advantage out of a small means are apparent."
In 2006, the City of Perth Art Foundation commissioned artist Anne Neill, in collaboration with landscape architects Blackwell & Associates and heritage consultant Barbara Dundas to design an artwork for this entry to Stirling Gardens.
This sculpture `Memory Markers` was inspired by the early recording of memories about Stirling Gardens. The shapes are based on the familiar ink dipping nib which expresses the esssence of the Victorian Era on which the original formal planting patterns were based