A Collaborative Artwork Brings Aboriginal Voices to Sydney Metro

  Sydney, Australia long had a tangle of trams, trains, and even a stretch of monorail—but never a proper subway system. That changed in 2019, with the opening of the first line of Sydney Metro, a network of four metro lines, 46 stations, and 70 miles of new tracks. This summer, the system opened the first phase of its City and Southwest line, whose automated trains extend under Sydney Harbor and far into the outlying suburbs. Many of its stations are defined by their reflection of local history and culture, both in their overall design and via vivid public art, ranging from ceramic wall reliefs and massive murals to colorful glass panels.  

    “Each station has its own personality,” says Nathan Hoffmeister, deputy project director for Sydney Metro. And the station that reflects this kind of place-focused storytelling perhaps most dramatically and holistically is Waterloo Station, designed by John McAslan + Partners, with public art by local artist Nicole Monks.  

    The three-level station reflects the town’s complex past. Here, wetlands, swamps, and low sandy hills were first inhabited by the Aboriginal Wangal and Gadigal peoples. However, in the modern era industry has dominated–from the early Waterloo flour mill to subsequent distilleries, breweries, and factories. 

    At the platform level, bronze-colored metal wall linings have a machine-age feel, and are perforated with abstractions of an ancient silcrete blade tool fragment that was discovered on site during excavation. Along the concourse, a long, top-lit wall suggests the sedimentary layers of Sydney sandstone, and other surfaces feature the patterns of the Banksia scrub plant and others inspired by native species. At street level, a black diamond patterned ceiling suggests energy and futurism, while robust rusted steel, brick, and concrete facades play on the scale and character of neighboring buildings. As these spaces develop, they will include ground floor retail and community spaces, with student and social housing above.  

    The project’s most explicit references to local culture are Monk’s three installations. Monks’ lineage includes Wajarri Yamaji, Dutch, and English and her work is largely informed by this cross-cultural identity.