Under the Sea

Audio description

Text description

Under the Sea
by Neil Tomkins (Birdhat) and Digby Webster, 2021
24 Kays Avenue, Marrickville

Inner West Council acknowledges the traditional custodians of these lands, the Gadigal and Wangal people of the Eora Nation.

This long mural is painted on a wall of varying height that extends for 50 metres along the side of a red brick house in Marrickville. The brick path that runs alongside the wall is fenced on the other side from the adjoining railway track. Starting from the left, the wall is low and forms the side of the small front garden. It is painted bright yellow and has two multi-coloured flower shapes and a green, purple and orange salamander or a lizard.

The wall gets higher and the background changes to navy blue decorated with small white blobs. Right in the middle is curled a larger colourful lizard who almost fills the wall. The lizard is poking out its blue tongue.

The next section comprises large oblongs loosely painted in purple, orange and yellow which are separated by thick black lines. A big blue and yellow angel fish swims leisurely along, his upper fins are cropped by the top of the wall. A series of yellow and purple circle sitting inside each other has black lines radiating out in all directions. To the right of the circles is a turtle with a blue, pink and yellow shell and a bright red face. It appears to be balancing on one leg and waving to us.

More shapes that are abstract lead to a long-legged turtle with a green neck, pink legs and blue and beige patterned shell. It walks to the right towards another angel fish swimming face-on with his turquoise fins waving on either side of his round yellow-spotted orange belly.

The next section is pink and has a bright blue and yellow fish. Its surrounded by a circle of blue blobs edged with yellow red stripes. This leads to a paler pink section with a flower, leaves and circle shapes scattered throughout.  The mural pauses between a brick arched doorway with a wrought iron gate.

Beyond the gate there are multi coloured flowers and circles and a piece of coral that looks like a white six-fingered hand sitting on the bottom of the mural. The background becomes a vivid blue with a pastel-coloured fish pursued by a vivid red lobster whose feelers run along the top of mural while his feet are at the bottom. Another circle, turquoise this time, sends out long black lines across a violet wall. A grinning angelfish poses front on. A green salamander and a little fish face off against a patchwork of coloured shapes before the wall ends with two large metal planter boxes filled with plants.

The walk along this busy interconnecting pathway is brightened by this imaginative, cheery and colourful glimpse of aquatic life.

This artwork was commissioned by Inner West Council through Perfect Match, a program matching artists with community to collaboratively produce site specific street art.

Audio description written by Vision Australia, and voiced by Nas Campanella.

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Page last updated: 17 Oct 2023