BROACHED COMMISSIONS

Project Name: Batmans Hill Marker

Location: Melbourne Quarter

Commissioner: Lend Lease

Materials: Axolotl Terracotta, Marble, Brass, Cast Glass, Mildsteel

Dimensions:

Since colonial times, Batman’s Hill has been a ground zero of change in Melbourne. John Batman lived on the hill; from this point the city grid was surveyed, and in the latter half of the 19th century the hill itself was levelled to make way for the freighting and storage of commodities that drove the city’s growth.

To acknowledge the immense significance of this location in Melbourne’s colonial history, Broached Commissions designed, and Axolotl have created, a symbolic form of exploration — a surveyor’s telescope. Embedded within the work is a pattern language designed by First Nations artist Maree Clarke, whose artistry also defines the services wall mural at Melbourne Quarter.

This free-standing sculptural form invites people of all ages to engage. The telescope holds a hidden dimension: the pattern language is only revealed when a visitor looks through its lens, creating a moment of discovery and reflection.

The piece rests on a simple, elegant plinth that illuminates the history of the site through the voice of a First Nations author, offering a counterpoint to colonial narratives and ensuring the story of Batman’s Hill is seen through multiple perspectives.