Design and Art Australia Online

Commissioned by Hornsby Shire Council. Location: Florence Street Mall, Hornsby, Sydney, NSW. Art critic and educator Michael Hedger in his book 'Public Sculpture in Australia’ (Craftsman House, 1995) notes “Australia’s most recent major fountain ranks as its most unique… The fountain is of cast bronze, stainless steel and plate glass, and the scale and the extraordinary combinations provide a work of surprising harmony. Cusack’s environmental sentiments are readily apparent and the local Council’s initiative in commissioning such a work is visionary.” A leaking pipe following the incorrect removal and reinstallation of the work during the Westfield Hornsby expansion caused the fountain to be out of action for four years. The protracted legal battle to restore the fountain to its former state is a landmark case in fighting for public artists rights.