Art, Architecture and Photography
Book Details

Mythform

The Making of Nearamnew

Paul Carter

Mythform is the story of how Nearamnew, the massive public artwork integrated into the fabric of Federation Square in Melbourne. was conceived, developed and installed.

Opinion

“This handsomely produced book tells the story of how [Nearamnew] was conceived and developed and also works as a series of footnotes to those texts.”
“the material is fascinating”
Owen Richardson, The Age, 30/7/05

About this Title

Since opening in 2003, the revolutionary urban design of Federation Square, Melbourne has captured the imagination of visitors and residents alike. At the heart of its appeal is Nearamnew, a 7500 square metre ground pattern woven into the fabric of the square's main plaza. In collaboration, artist Paul Carter and Lab architecture studio have produced a complex poetic sculpture that is public artwork at its best. As pedestrians cross its patterned surface, they are invited to participate, to stop and read the text, to feel the texture embedded within, to play hopscotch in 'The Child's Vision', to experience the work from within.

Mythform tells the story of how this extraordinary work was conceived, developed and installed. A selection from some of the hundreds of studies, drawings and plans made over the four years of design and construction allow the reader 'behind the scenes' into the making of this immense project; the detailed photographs reveal the beauty of the design at all stages of its progress and Paul Carter's commentary provides insights into how the 'concrete poems' commemorate the extraordinary wealth of myth, legend and dream associated with Federation Square.

Mythform is a magnificent visual essay that captures the many moods, colours and stories hidden within Nearamnew. It shows precisely why the work is such a critical and popular success.

About the Author

Paul Carter is a writer, artist and interdisciplinary scholar whose many books include The Road to Botany Bay (1987), The Lie of the Land (1996), Repressed Spaces (2002) and Material Thinking (2004). In addition to Nearamnew, his internationally acclaimed public artworks include Named In The Margin (Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney, 1990), The Calling to Come (Museum of Sydney, 1995) and Relay (Sydney 2000 Olympics, with Ruark Lewis). He is currently Professorial Research Fellow in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, University of Melbourne.

Book Preview

978-0-522-85105-2