Connections across time and place: City art walk

Date: Friday, 19th September 2025

Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm

Location: City of Sydney

Led by curator Barbara Flynn with artist Jonathan Jones (Wiradjuri/Kamilaroi) this walking tour engages with important sites of public art and living culture, ranging from the new Quay Quarter Lanes precinct to the city and Woolloomooloo. Highlights include remembering Arabanoo (2022) in the mixed-use development at Quay Quarter Lanes, which responds to the site’s early colonial history through the experiences of Arabanoo, the first Aboriginal person captured by the colonists. Made with the permission of elders from Gadigal Country, in particular Uncle Charles ‘Chicka’ Madden, the artwork acknowledges the Gadigal people as traditional owners, the continued custodianship of the Eora Aboriginal community and the site’s complex role in early colonial relationships. We also visit The Seeds of Flight (2025), by Argentine-born, Berlin-based artist Tomás Saraceno, The lightweight artwork above the Gadigal Metrol weaves together Saraceno’s enduring fascination with fossil fuel-free flight methods with his deep commitment to biodiversity enacted through Aerocene, the non-profit foundation he initiated. As curator of both projects, Barbara provides background to the works, from the formulation of the artists' ideas to the delivery of these important art commissions.

Note: Numbers are strictly limited, so book early to avoid disappointment. Meeting point to be confirmed closer to the date.

Tour leads

Barbara Flynn, Curatorial Advisor

Dr Jonathan Jones Wiradjuri / Kamilaroi artist, curator and researcher, Jumbunna Institute UTS 

Barbara Flynn is a curatorial advisor to city and state government, educational institutions, foundations, development companies and architectural firms, working with artists to guide the creation of singular new works of art for the public realm. 

Jonathan Jones is an artist and researcher of the Wiradyuri and Kamilaroi Nations of southeast Australia. He works closely with community to create a range of projects that talk to both the historical and contemporary. His projects are grounded in research and work with local Aboriginal Elders and community members to tell local stories from the southeast region. Jonathan has exhibited nationally and internationally, and in 2018 received the Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship in the field of visual arts. Jonathan is a researcher at Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, University of Technology Sydney.

Cover image credit:

Tomás Saraceno
The Seeds of Flight, 2025
Extra dense, dyed raw cotton fabric, carbon fibre, aluminium, rope, sailcloth
15 sculptures of variable dimensions installed on the three public levels of Parkline Place, 252 Pitt Street Sydney
Project developed by Investa on behalf of owners, Oxford Properties Group and Mitsubishi Estate Asia
Architects: Foster + Partners
Project curator: Barbara Flynn, Art Advisor to Investa for Parkline Place