Asterisk

NSW Govt / Westconnex Sydney — 2020

On Cadigal and Kameygal land, welcoming visitors at the entrance to new sculpture parklands in Sydney NSW, the star-shaped Asterisk is a modern stone compass connecting Country, cultures, time and place. Named after the Ancient Greek word ‘asteriskos’ meaning 'little star', Asterisk points to Ginan, the smallest star in the Southern Cross, which was internationally renamed in 2017 with its Australian Aboriginal star name. Combining celestial form with ancient stones, the sculpture explores the metaphysical and mystical realms of Earth and Sky. It evokes human journeys and stellar navigation systems that guided Indigenous and European travellers over land and sea.

Carved from three unique stones from different corners of Australia, the sculpture's intersecting planes reveal markings that trace the history of the oldest continent on Earth. One rock is a white sandstone discovered deep below the sculpture site during new transport tunnel construction and salvaged by the artist to make a new composite - 'tunnel-stone'. Anchored by rock from the North and the West, this plane holds the memories of a landscape reshaped to reach new destinations. Visible from a 30mH human-made mound at St Peters Interchange in the new transport route, Asterisk casts long shadows inside a circle of heritage stone that once lined local roads, a sundial marking the passing of time and change of seasons.