Commemorative work

South Hobart, Lutruwita/Tasmania
Public art commission for South Hobart Rivulet Track. Part of the City of Hobart Resilient Hobart initiative

Artist: Alex Miles (community engagement and final work)
Collaborators: The South Hobart Community

Rain Coming 2019
Totems at various heights between 2-4m
Steel

Many believe that when black cockatoos fly down from the mountain, it is a sign that rain is on its way.
In May 2018 Hobart was impacted by extreme flooding. The heavy rains affected many people, particularly those directly in the flood path along Hobart Rivulet. Rain Coming commemorates the event, as a place for contemplation and as a way to connect and strengthen community.
A flock of abstracted cockatoos that appear to fly down from the hill, landing at a point where flood levels were high during the weather event. Scattered around them are fragments of text, collected through a period of community engagement, sandblasted into the stone, reflecting local accounts of the flood.

Community responses were also published via paste-up graphics and on a dedicated City of Hobart webpage:

https://yoursay.hobartcity.com.au/rain-coming

This City of Hobart public art project was jointly funded by the Australian and Tasmanian Governments under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements.