New skyscraper blocks light hitting as intended on Perth’s Bali bombing memorial
A design element of the Bali Bomb Memorial in Kings Park, which focused sunlight on the names of the 16 West Australians killed, has been undone by the construction of a skyscraper at Elizabeth Quay.
The Bali bombing memorial on the edge of the Mount Eliza escarpment was designed so that on October 12 each year a ray of sunlight would fall between two columns, illuminating the memorial at sunrise and bearing the names of those who lost their lives .
The plaque reads:
In the shadow of our sorrow we find a light,
With the dawn comes hope,
With the setting sun, time to heal
However, the construction of the 52-storey EQ West tower at Elizabeth Quay meant that this year, the 20th anniversary of the terror attack, the plaque was not lit up as family members and survivors gathered for the service.
Keith Pearce, treasurer of the Bali Memorial Association, told Nadia Mitsopoulos on ABC Radio Perth that it was “very disappointing for the crowd not to be able to witness the sunrise this year”.
“We had a walk-through about a week before to set up, to make sure we had everything right.
“And that’s when I realized that the building would block the sun.”
This year was the 20th anniversary of the terrorist bombing at the Sari Club in Kuta and attendance at the memorial was high.
When the memorial was built in 2003, the designers and architects could not take Elizabeth Quay into account as it only started construction in 2012.
“And when they built Elizabeth Quay, they didn’t consider that buildings there would block the sunlight from shining on the memorial,” Mr Pearce said.
“It’s just one of those things that happened, and what we have to do now is find a solution to the problem.”
Design intended to bring people together
David Jones, emeritus professor of sculpture at Curtin University, who was the artist for the memorial, said the sunlight was an important part of how the monument was intended to work.
“The idea was that by having it at a specific time, it would bring the community together, especially the families affected by the bombing,” Professor Jones said.
“It became a time when they all came together, when the light passed through and shone on the stone – that became the event.
“A lot of people who go there in the middle of the day don’t really understand what’s actually going on, it’s an active thing, like a performance.”
Professor Jones said he was disappointed that the memorial was not considered when the EQ West building was approved.
“I realized that [issue] A few months ago, when I went with a friend and I suddenly realized, ‘Wait, we have a big problem here’.
“I think it’s pretty insensitive that the buildings in Perth don’t actually consider their alignment with other things happening in the area and how they’re affected.”
Association to weigh options
Mr Pearce said the two options were to move the memorial or to install mirrors and reflectors to redirect the light on October 12 each year.
“Anne Ali, the member for Cowan, who is a very strong supporter of our association, suggested that a set of reflectors or mirrors could do that,” Mr Pearce said.
“I think moving it would probably be my preferred option. I can’t speak for the association because we haven’t made a decision at this stage.
“But we’ll have to look at that, because if they’re going to build buildings further up Langley Park in the future, then moving the memorial might just move it to somewhere where it’s blocked off at some future date.
“We’ll have to be sure that where we’ve moved will have a clear view into the river so that future buildings can’t block it the way this one has.”
The options will be discussed when the association meets next month, with Mr Pearce conceding “there will be an expense associated with anything we do”.
Professor Jones was unsure about the viability of moving the memorial.
“The families, they made the decision where it was going to be,” he said.
“The alignment is actually very specific, and the architects were very careful with their analysis of exactly where the sun would come each year.
“You can’t just move it to another location because again the alignment is going to be wrong.”
Whatever the outcome, Mr Pearce hopes it will be resolved before next year’s anniversary.
“Obviously we want whatever happens to be done as soon as possible, so on October 12 next year we will be able to see the sunrise and light up the names as they have in the past.”
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