Patterns from the past painted in eye-catching pops of colour, and Jurassic-sized hand painted flowers, make the newly opened Claremont Station underpass feel more like a walk-through art gallery than a connection between Gugeri Street and Claremont Crescent.

Created by local artist Jennie Nayton, the 400sqm vibrant mural is a tribute to Claremont’s history and the community-chosen theme of Heritage Reflections from Past to Present – and a very bright example of how public art can create a connection to place and celebrate local identity.

“Public art enlivens areas and creates points of distinction, with the location becoming a unique landmark for the area.” Jennie explains.

“I hope the mural inspires a feeling of familiarity and recognition with local residents, and brings a sense of joy to people passing through. I am very proud to have been a part of a large-scale public art project such as this.”

The underpass has been constructed as part of the METRONET Claremont Station Project, and inspiration for the mural stemmed from Claremont’s historical buildings that are far more than just bricks and mortar. They’re more like pages from a history book, and Jennie captured their historic content through photos of patterns on the federation style pressed tin ceilings, cast iron features, Art Deco tiling and plaster facades that grace the buildings.

The next step was to pair these patterns with images of flowers from local parks and gardens and apply them to the grey walls of the underpass in a rainbow of colour using mediums and techniques like router cut powder coated aluminium, stencil murals, hand-painted murals, brush work and plain painted walls.

The underpass public art project is an example of how the METRONET Public Art Strategy is creating points of interest, landmarks and destinations; animating public spaces and building place identity; and supporting the professional and emerging local arts sector.