In Motion is Brook Andrew's largest most ambitiously scaled public artwork to date. It takes the form of an impressive eighty-meter long coloured pathway and sculptural elements in soft-fall, in-ground LEDs and a water feature for The Connection precinct by Canada Bay Council along Sydney Harbour. Amanda developed a brief that asked artists to respond with ideas for art that focused on the sites Aboriginal history and the local multi-cultural community. As such the shortlist of artists were of either First Nations descent or a that of a culture represented in the community. Andrew's public artwork speaks of place, history and culture, whilst providing not only an exceptional work to behold but also a place to inhabit and experience physically. It accompanies an artwork by Chinese artist Lu Xinjian inside The Connection building, and one by Caroline Rothwell along the water’s edge.

In Motion references the coming together of community at this place throughout history, now and into the future. Intentionally providing an alternative pathway to the concrete path of the development, in textured colour and sculptural forms, the artwork contrasts boldly with the surrounding architectural elements of glass, concrete and wood, and offers a playful way to announce the precinct and navigate the site. The focal art element is the circular sculpture covered in Andrew's ancestral Wiradjuri design. This circular form offers a place to sit with harbour views, whilst the triangular sculptural form surrounds a cooling water feature. The shapes and interconnecting lines allude to meeting points and attitudes to time, in particular to the fluidity of the idea of time that it is not fixed as usually understood in non First Nations cultures. The circular motifs also suggest Hindu and Buddhist Mandalas and the Chinese philosophy of yin and yang, indicating spiritual and physical healing, connectedness and a place for coming together. These designs and coloured LED's juxtapose heritage with intimations of popular culture.

As with much of Brook Andrew's artistic practice, this important public artwork challenges cultural and historical perception, commenting on local and global issues around identity, the media, consumerism and history. In Motion is part of a public art program curated by Sharrad, including works by Caroline Rothwell and Lu Xinjian. Amanda worked closely with Brook Andrew and his team including Jisuk Han, with Urbis Landscape Architects and the Canada Bay Council to drive, facilitate and manage the artwork commission process, development and production through to completion.

Images: Canada Bay Council / Amanda Sharrad