Four locally themed artworks set to feature at the new Ranford Road, Nicholson Road, and Thornlie train stations have been unveiled.
Created by seven artists, the artworks will reflect the surrounding environment of each station, as well as Noongar culture and its connection to the land.
Travellers at the new Nicholson Road Station will be welcomed with a green sculpture at the station’s plaza.
Created by artist Penelope Forlano, the design features an organic green shape resembling a flame or young plant shoot rising from an etched concrete bench, designed by Marcia McGuire.
The bench echoes the story of fertility and represents underground waterways flowing toward the main sculptural element, nurturing its growth.
Lighting will transform the sculpture from green during the day to red at night. Green symbolises life, fertility, and rebirth, while red represents fire.
Nicholson Road Station will also feature a perforated screen around the waterhole to the south of the station, designed by artist Darryl Bellotti. The intricate patterns will depict the Waugal, a Noongar Dreamtime ancestral serpent.
Over at Ranford Road Station, a large purple linear artwork by artists Alexander Knox and Eliza Hutchison will represent the movement of emus (Waitj) across the landscape, with their mountain-like formations and meandering footprints tracing pathways through the environment.
At the upgraded Thornlie Station, which will feature an extended platform and a new concourse, a panoramic artwork will adorn the walls of the station’s new staircase and platform.
The artwork, featuring garden-themed sketches by Yale Primary School students and designed by artists Arif Satar and Audrey Fernandes-Satar, aims to create a sense of identity and connection for the local community.
The artworks were developed in collaboration with the METRONET Noongar Reference Group, which provides input, advice, and support for Noongar cultural recognition and place-making across all METRONET projects.
The group, made up of six members, Peter Michael, Greg Ugle, Doreen Nelson, Lera Bennell, and Aunty Marion, has endorsed the Noongar-led art pieces for the Thornlie-Cockburn Link Project.
Representing the Whadjuk and Gnaala Karla Booja working parties, each member brings a unique story and background, guiding their cultural input into the METRONET Program.
Lera Bennell said the group is an opportunity for Noongar people to tell the story of their journey and have a voice in the process.
“We’re involved in the decision-making processes for storytelling, naming, language, art and design for each new station.”
“I believe the METRONET Noongar Reference Group has a strong, honest voice, and we’ve made changes that are creating respect for truth, acknowledgment, history and heritage – and a better understanding between Noongar and non-Aboriginal people.”
With a deep family connection to the railway, Peter Michael takes pride in his involvement in the development of new rail infrastructure in Western Australia through the Program.
“It puts a smile on my face to be involved, have input and tell our stories and when the METRONET projects are complete, I will feel proud being part of the METRONET Noongar Reference Group, just like my father and grandfather would have felt putting the railway together,” Mr Michael said.
The artworks are expected to be completed in line with the opening of the stations and the Thornlie-Cockburn Link, scheduled for mid-2025.
