WELCOME MAT

As part of their goal to create a vibrant city that reflects the culture, diversity and lifestyle of its community, the City of Unley, South Australia, sought a team of creatives to develop a series of artistic road murals known as the Welcome Mat project.

The significant public art works were created utilising a decorative asphalt surfacing system designed specifically for high traffic areas and established an art trail that reflects the spirit of Unley.

The colourful murals start on the centre section of one of the City’s main roads (Goodwood Road) and branch out into a series of side streets (Florence, Rosa, Lily, Gilbert, Victoria and Surrey Streets). Resplendent with an array of motifs and designs, the murals feature books, trees and ferns, birds, clouds, musical notes, bookcases with well-known titles, as well as plates, forks, cups and stars in a vibrant display of colour.

A major community undertaking, the project was a collaborative endeavour between MPS Paving Systems Australia, Creative Pavements, Artist Ellen Schlobohm and the City of Unley.

Reminiscent of the artistic practice of papercutting, the artistic vision for the works involved strong imagery developed using positive and negative space. “The designs I created for the project capture this, with each street touching on a different aspect of Goodwood Road and celebrating the community that surrounds it,” says Ellen.

While the tree on Rosa Street is “reflective of the growth of Goodwood as well as its longevity”, Lily Street “celebrates the rich culinary experiences Goodwood has to offer”, according to the artist. These bold designs were achieved utilising the DuraTherm™ asphalt surfacing system from MPS Paving Systems Australia.

A decorative surfacing product, DuraTherm™ is a thermoplastic material installed flush into imprinted asphalt that is specifically designed for high-traffic areas such as crosswalks and intersections. It is quick to install and will maintain its vibrancy for many years, making the Welcome Mat project a viable long term community initiative for the City of Unley.

Installed by Creative Pavements, the transformation of the local area brought colour and life into the region around Goodwood Road. The public spaces, sidewalk cafes, local facilities and entertainment venues were tied together with each new mural that was completed, reclaiming space for pedestrians and unifying the area through relevant themes.

Not only did the colourful additions to Goodwood Road and its surrounding streets improve the vitality of the area, they created a new vernacular with which visitors and locals can engage with the space.

The City of Unley’s goal to “encourage community creativity, enhance public places and increase the number of public art installations across the City” has been exceeded with the completion of the Welcome Mat project.

CONTACT
MPS Paving Systems Australia
P   03 9707 0077
E   admin@mpspaving.com.au
W   www.mpspaving.com.au

PROJECT PARTICULARS
Location Goodwood Road, Unley SA
Client Unley Council
Duratherm Supplier MPS Paving Systems
Duratherm Installer Creative Pavements
Artist Ellen Schlobohm