Watson Shops Mosaic Walls and Boulder Lights (2000). Tony Steel as key artist coordinator working with Tess Horwitz, George Paton, Jim Williams, local community organisations and members of the general community. The artworks of the stone boulder and stainless steel bollards and wall mosaics embrace the areas around the garden bed and either side of the stairs. In the light wells beneath the boulders the mosaic ‘trail’ begins. Central to the mosaics are unique handcrafted tiles created through collaborations between the organising artists and local community groups; local schools and Dickson College, Watson Potters’. There is a mosaic map of the extent of Watson in the year 2000. Intricately patterned mosaic sections of bogong moths and other symbols of walkabout and campsites were created by Jim Williams, respected local aboriginal artist and Ngunnawal tribal elder. The mosaic walls are animated by insects and lizards local to the area: ants, spiders, ladybirds, gecko. Real detective work is needed to discover a hidden morse-code message - “The Law, The People”. These artworks were a genuine community effort reflecting the diversity of the local community and introducing a sense of community spirit into the shopping centre. In 2017 the mosaics underwent major repairs by Tess Horwitz and Tony Steel due to subsidence in the wall.
Mosaic Materials: donated plates, manufactured and handcrafted tiles, glues, grouts, fibre-cement board.
