The rich retail history of the City of Subiaco’s town centre has been brought to life in vivid colour in a new nine-metre public artwork.
Named ‘Subiaco was built on a Sunday’ and created by local artist Mel McVee, the artwork draws on real-life aspects of Subiaco’s past.
In the early twentieth century, a need for affordable, easy-to-build housing prompted local company Whittaker Brothers to develop kit homes, allowing land owners to build their own houses.
As most men worked Monday through to Saturday, building generally took place on a Sunday, leading to the phrase, ‘Subiaco was built on a Sunday’.
City of Subiaco Mayor Heather Henderson said she is amazed at Mel McVee’s vision and impressed with how historical aspects have been incorporated into the artwork.
“We’re passionate about public art and proud of our history. Mel’s design is the perfect addition to our public art portfolio and we couldn’t be happier with the outcome,” said Mayor Henderson.
“Her design caught our attention because of the reference to original shops in the area, the way of life in years past, the extensive research that went into the design and the way that the community could get involved in creating the artwork.”
The artwork took several weeks to complete and the community was invited to contribute through two paint-by-numbers community painting sessions.
“Community is at the core of what we do here in Subiaco, so it was lovely to see members of our community get involved and be part of something like ‘Subiaco was built on a Sunday.’
“It really is a beautiful achievement that the entire city can be proud of,” said the Mayor.
‘Subiaco was built on a Sunday’ is located in the laneway at 147 Rokeby Road, on the wall of Western Australia’s first Cat Café, which opened in Subiaco recently. For more information about the artwork and the city’s public art collection, visit www.subiaco.wa.gov.au/publicart
