A Community Canvas for Byford
Spanning the east and west faces of the Larsen Road pedestrian bridge, Held in Place artwork transforms a key piece of public infrastructure into a shared creative space. Working alongside Marri Grove Primary School students, Sioux Tempestt developed an artwork that reflects local stories, everyday journeys, and the character of the Byford community.
The collaboration ensured that young people who use the bridge daily contributed directly to the artwork’s design, embedding their perspectives into the public realm and strengthening a sense of ownership and belonging.
About the Artist
Sioux Tempestt is a contemporary Western Australian artist whose practice focuses on creating meaningful visual experiences within public environments. Her work spans murals, sculpture, and integrated architectural artworks, responding closely to site, community, and cultural context.
Drawing on abstraction, pattern, and layered colour, Sioux’s public art projects reflect the histories, ecologies, and lived experiences of the places in which they are installed.
Workshops Rooted in Place
The artwork emerged through a series of creative workshops with Marri Grove Primary School students, where participants explored their personal connections to Byford using techniques such as shadow painting, foam printing, and collage.
Byford, located within the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale, is a rapidly growing community that retains a strong rural identity. This history is still visible through features such as the former brickworks, farmland, and animal life. These local references appear throughout the mural, grounding the artwork firmly in its setting.
Connecting East and West
The Larsen Road pedestrian bridge is a vital access route for children travelling to Marri Grove Primary School and an important link between the eastern and western sides of Byford. The artwork responds directly to this function, reflecting movement, connection, and everyday travel through the community.
Student-generated motifs and imagery are carefully woven into the larger composition, ensuring their contributions remain a permanent and visible part of Byford’s evolving landscape.
Materiality, Movement and Meaning
Held in Place features bold, colourful murals on both sides of the bridge, complemented by sandblasted elements embedded into the concrete surfaces of the bridge and surrounding pathways. These tactile details extend the artwork beyond the painted surfaces and invite interaction.
The mural includes dynamic imagery such as horses and cows in motion, alongside local references including the historic brickworks smokestack. A continuous white line runs throughout the artwork, symbolising the shared pathways of commuters, students, and the wider community.
A Lasting Public Art Legacy
Held in Place contributes to the ongoing transformation of Byford, enhancing public space and reinforcing community identity through collaboration and creative exchange. Delivered in partnership with METRONET, this project demonstrates the role of public art in shaping meaningful, inclusive places.
Through its scale, material presence, and community involvement, the Larsen Road artwork stands as a lasting legacy within the Byford Rail Extension corridor.
Photos: Frances Andrijich