Time Walk 2000, 2001

Fiona MacDonald, Melanie Cariss and Kath Grant
Basalt, Sandstone stainless steel, glass
Campbell Parade

The Time Walk 2000 combines a varied and disparate range of Bondi images which, when experienced during a walk along Campbell Parade, form a net of shared experience of place - Bondi. The artists – Fiona MacDonald, Kath Grant and Melanie Cariss address the importance of Bondi as a national symbol, combining nature and culture. The rondels placed in the pavement each show an aspect of Bondi's colourful heritage and beach culture. Basalt and sandstone were chosen for the rondels because they both occur locally. Campbell Parade is built over part of a road that previously led to a former basalt quarry and before this, the indigenous community utilised the basalt as a material for creating tools.

The work also uses materials relating to the geology of Bondi: sandstone and blue stone, which make up the substratum of the area. Glass and stainless steel introduce culturally produced elements. These materials carry images and text that refer to the iconic position of Bondi as well as its ‘lived in’, everyday reality.

Research both within the community, as well as local, state, public and private archives, produced a wide variety of background information relating to four broad categories: pre-contact and indigenous sense of place; play, leisure and the lifesaving movement; work, industry and the environment; people and communities. These themes are all underpinned by one constant, the nature of the place; its geography and climate. The emphasis of the art work is to capture the relaxed atmosphere of Bondi and this is evident in the playful juxtapositions of themes and materials.

Priority in the selection for the completed roundels (from 32 designs) is given to subjects that span a broad cross section of the material available: the earliest being the Bondi points and rock carvings, and the most recent is the installation by Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation of Sea of Hands on Bondi Beach in 1998.

Other images portrayed in the rondels include swimmers, lifesavers, lifeguards, beach goers and the sea. Sharks are featured as a presence at the beach. The fear of shark attacks grew out of proportion compared to the actual risk of attack which fuelled campaigns to have sharks eradicated. One of the rondels shows Jack Platt, the famous shark fisherman.

Another rondel depicts the quirky image of Princess Margaret's sandaled feet taken on the 1975 royal visit to Bondi.