Artist: Deborah Halpern Year: 2001 Location: Eltham Town Square. Commercial Place, Eltham
Square floor mosaic. Black and white chequered border. Multicoloured coiled snake intercepted with six multi-coloured peaks. Made up of small mosaic tiles and hand painted.
In October 2000, Council invited artists from the region to submit designs for a sculpture/public artwork for the Eltham Town Square. The commission was paid for by supermarket giant Safeway (Woolworths) as part of its supermarket permit, which required them to contribute to beautification work in the Town Square.
The second of three parts, The Spirit of Nillumbik celebrates the artistic spirit of Eltham and surrounding communities. Each area is identified through the flora and fauna represented in the panels.
The work honours the many creative artists and architects, past and present, who have built homes and shaped lives and livelihoods with their unique creative spirit.
Halpern describes her work as a public expression of their individual and collective visions. Halpern acknowledges these contributions to our hand-made history and the influence they have on the character and identity of Eltham and Nillumbik.