PROJECT | Hickory Headquarters Clarke Street, South Bank
LOCATION | Traditional lands of the Wurundjeri peoples
CLIENT | Hickory
BUILDING ARCHITECTS | Elenberg Fraser
ART CONSULTANT | Sarah Ritson

Joy to Mortals finds its origins in the ancient story of Phaethon, who borrowed a sun chariot from his father and sun god Helios. Unable to control the chariot’s reins, Phaethon accidentally freezes and then burns the earth, before Zeus strikes Phaethon with a single lightning bolt, bringing his disastrous journey to an end. The artwork captures this mythic cataclysm with a series of optical fragments embodying the deconstructed sun chariot and floating debris.

The piece is suspended in the central atrium between Market Lane’s two predominant buildings, utilising the natural light to make sunlight visible through controlled spotlights to add a pop of colour and intrigue. The forms of work add to the visual connectivity of the space, capturing the sun’s light and its changing effects even when the sun is not active.