"The Southern Park Lands is a living testament to the foresight of William Christie Buik who was the Mayor of Adelaide between 1878-1879. He engaged John Ednie Brown to prepare a report which was the first large-scale landscape design proposal for a public park in South Australia. It became one of the most significant international planning concepts ever applied in practice.Storm Approaching Carriageway Park/Tuthangga does not simply represent a particular time or place but attempts to go beyond just mere representation. Tuthangga is the Kaurna name for this park and means ‘grass place.’ Using the name Tuthangga connects this place to the cultural heritage which plays a crucial role in understanding and appreciating the past and our responsibility to continue the legacy that predates the 1870s.
Clearly the actions taken by Buik and the subsequent planting of the Carriageway in the early 1870s demonstrates how their actions in the nineteenth century can and still do impact on the present as much as our actions will directly impact the future.
The imagery I created stands in mute testimony to the ongoing commitment of The Park Lands in relation to the environment and the vision seen so long ago. An attempt to capture the drama of what nature presents is the intention and I like to think that I interpret my subject rather than just copy the view; and truly seek to create a feeling that relates to the unspoken stories that the place suggests."