Art Pharmacy is honoured to curate a unique project for Light Horse Logistics Hub, a site steeped in rich and diverse histories of resilience, adaptation, and transformative narratives. Engaged by Charter Hall, this project celebrates the multifaceted heritage of the site while paying homage to its evolving cultural and social fabric through artistic expression.
Lighthorse Logistics Hub serves as a historical and cultural intersection, embodying the layered stories of early industry within First Nations communities, the Light Horse Brigade, The Wallgrove Migrant Hostel, and now, its contemporary role as a logistics hub. This site weaves together narratives of community, solidarity, movement, industry, and productivity. Each chapter of its history tells of people coming together—seeking shelter, striving for connection, and building new lives. It reflects both the continuity of shared human experiences and the ever-evolving purpose of this land, making it a place where past and present meet in a dialogue of enduring significance.
In honouring these interconnected histories, multidisciplinary artist Patrizia Biondi’s public artwork ‘A Moment in Time and Memory’, features multiple timber rays, symbolising the diverse people and histories that have inhabited this land over time. The sculpture’s form evokes group cohesion, while the timber material pays tribute to the A-frame huts that once stood here, offering post-war migrants both shelter and a sense of belonging. Through the embedded narratives held within the timber, this artwork honours the enduring spirit of solidarity within the huts.
Further, Biondi’s personal connection to the project is salient in the rich human stories she has been able to imbue the artwork with; she volunteered for over 25 years with migrants who stayed at the Wallgrove Migrant Hostel. During Biondi’s research, she collected quotes from post-war migrants which are fabricated onto the artwork. This unique feature solidifies a deep site-specificity as the work carries the voices of individual migrants who have shaped the site’s history.
The colours adorning the sculpture’s side panels reference the local flora, a nod to the natural heritage of this land. The palette extends to include shades of pink and various blues, reflecting both day and night skies, eternal witnesses to the passage of time and human history on this land. Communal seating serves as a symbol of social inclusion and solidarity, offering a place of rest and connection. In addition, the seat demonstrates how public art can contribute to placemaking not only aesthetically, but also functionally. This communal space encourages contemplation of the sculptural artwork and the complex, intertwined narratives of the site’s past.
Together, the sculpture and seat capture the interplay of movement and stillness, reflecting the balance between progress and introspection that shapes the human experience. This project invites the community to reflect on the intertwined histories that shaped it, while inspiring a deeper connection to its enduring legacy and the stories yet to unfold. Through art and collective memory, Light Horse Logistics Hub remains a living reminder of our shared capacity for growth, resilience, and unity.
