The Stunning Monument Park is being Unveiled This Month in NewQuay in Docklands

The stunning Monument Park is being unveiled this month in NewQuay in Docklands.

The $3 million, 2000sqm sculptural park binds together seven sculptures by award-winning artist Callum Morton. Each is based on a significant City of Melbourne monument, including the “yellow peril” (Vault), Burke and Wills and the Marquis of Linlithgow.

A concrete facsimile of the Hoddle Grid is draped across the various monuments and forms the base of the park.

According to Mr Morton, the ground plane is imagined as a carpet – rising and falling as it covers the various monuments.

“Critically, we wanted to emphasise the idea that Docklands should be regarded not as an isolated precinct but rather as an extension, and integral part of the city,” he said.

“The forms are broken open in sections to reveal new colourful worlds for sheltering in, exploring, playing amongst and enjoying.”

“There are abundant green areas that appear through holes created in the surface of the carpet. The plantings appear as if literally erupting from the ground below to colonise this fantasy city.”

The project is funded by Places Victoria and MAB Corporation, the developer of Docklands’ NewQuay precinct. Docklands developers are required to spend 1 per cent of the value of their projects on public art.

Joining Mr Morton in creating the concept were landscape architecture studio, Oculus, and architects for the adjacent The Quays residential building, McBride Charles Ryan.