Phillip Lane
Not one, two or three, but four awards
In December 2020 Phillip Lane, a service laneway in Parramatta’s famed ‘Eat Street’ was transformed into a creative public space with art and lighting.
A sense of community and pride for the faded area, expressing colour and movement, drawing passers by within the laneway. After a successful trial, Phillip Lane received overwhelming positive reaction.
The NSW Government and Council Member Chris Patfield (Place Manager for the city of Parramatta), invited expressions of interest to create a permanent feature for the laneway.
Four submissions were shared with the public for feedback, an astounding 56% voted for the ‘Burra burawa burring gili’ (eel above countless generations of starlight) by Cundall with Uncle Jim Carrol & Matt Fellingham, representing the area’s First Nation heritage.
In April 2021 additional funding under the ‘Your High Street’ grant program was launched with manufacturing and construction commencing.
A beautiful concept
Anjana Ravishankar - Lighting Designer Cundall Sydney, author ‘Putting culture and story at the heart of the place-making’. Goes into detail on how ‘Burra burawa burring gili’ was conceived and the meaning behind the lighting sculpture.
Colour and emotion
From the plans drawn, scales of the eel were made using 40 individually coloured 12mm thick Polycarbonate sheets, cut to shape and the edges polished. Serving as dual purpose, the scales were part of the visual sculpture as well as a tool to cast bright colours onto the building walls and road below.
Shaping light
Assembled with bending stainless steel extrusion, the 15-Watt IP67 RGB Neon Flex is fixed to each of the eel’s scales, outlining the panels with a programmable LED light. Numerous projectors for motion imaging were used to create movement on the pathway during the evenings.
Boxed brain
Five waterproof stainless-steel custom painted boxes were constructed to house the brains behind the lighting display. DMX player with world clock functionality and 24VDC 4A*32ch DMX512 decoders were used to manage the lighting system and programmable display.
Light management
The programmable lighting schemes and schedules specific to dates and City of Parramatta council events were managed onsite via a laptop, with optional remote access programming for future topical events.
The Awards
Since the opening of the newly modernised laneway, the Phillip Lane project has been nominated for four awards and placing in them all;
Better Future - Sydney Design Award 2023 (Silver)
Better Future - Australia Design Award 2023 (Silver)
Mainstreet Australia – Best Main Street Streetscape and Design Award
IESANZ Award for Excellence 2023 - A contemporary response to the culture of Paramatta while simultaneously acknowledging the spiritual history of the First Nations people.
The success of the Phillip Lane ‘Burra burawa burring gili’ has led to further creative projects proposed to make Phillip Lane a new destination for outdoor weekend dinning over the summer months says Chris Patfield, City of Parramatta Place Manager.
Meet the Award-winning team
Project Creator: Cundall
Lighting & sculpture design: Cundall (Bettina Easton)
First Nation Consultant: Uncle Jim Carrol with Matt Fellingham
Structural Engineering: Event Engineering
Lighting supplier: Co:Lab
Fabricator: Alchemy + Co and Co:Lab
Steel manufacturer: ASL Steel
