Concrete Playground

Braving the clogged artery that is Parramatta Road, headed for the biggest Victorian cemetery in the Southern Hemisphere to take an early morning sculpture walk, wasn't a typical start to a day. Yet arriving at the Reflections At Rookwood Café, I started to wonder if perhaps I was alone in that thought. Traffic was banked up for a kilometre coming out of the cemetery, crowds of people were swarming in and around the café and a huge florist was in full, frantic swing. This was not what I was expecting.
 
The sculpture walk, however, was everything I was expecting. 'Hidden: A Rookwood Sculpture Walk' was conceived by Derek Williams, the General Manager of Rookwood, who sought to welcome new audiences through the cemetery gates. His vision to re-imagine a graveyard as a gallery space should be applauded. Now in its second year, the 2010 exhibition features the work of 24 artists whose sculptures respond to the site. Canvassing grief, death, life, love and, in some instances, a very personal connection to Rookwood, the 'Hidden' artists lure their audiences in close to whisper a story in their ear.
 
Well actually, it’s a less a whisper and more a lively conversation, thanks to an excellent audio guide that can be downloaded online before a visit to Rookwood. The walk is open from sunrise to sunset, starting at Reflections At Rookwood Café near the Strathfield Gates.   

Annette Tzavaras, Catharsis, Tragedy and Restoration, photo by Danielle Hairs.