Project Information

Art in the Suburbs!

City of Darwin is working with local artists to create and design works for the purposes of upgrading and beautifying water tanks in the community. The project allows for artists to respond to the theme of water, local ecologies, and the natural and cultural elements that thrive within our Darwin region.

The first series features four new works by Larrakia Artist Denise Quall, in collaboration with Designer Ciella Williams. Denise has drawn from her lino cut, painting and stencil-based works featuring top end bird and sea. Ciella worked with Denise to arrange and transform her artworks into four distinct colour way designs, which were then printed onto large vinyl wraps and installed on the tanks. Each of the four designs infuses traditional and contemporary artwork methods and graphic design technologies to realise the artist’s vision. The artworks are located throughout the Water Wards at Malak, Wagaman, Anula and Moil sports ovals.

Artist Statements and Bios

Denise Quall and Ciella Williams

 I worked alongside digital designer Ciella Williams, who did an amazing job of creating brilliant designs with my artworks. She incorporated my works of land and ocean animals, as well as background colours of the Larrakia country and sea. These designs were commissioned by City of Darwin to be wrapped around four irrigation tanks located at sporting ovals in the northern suburbs and throughout the Waters Ward.

In Malak there is the Dangalaba (saltwater crocodile) artwork, which is an animal significant to the Dangalaba Clan (a Larrakia clan).

The Anula water tank features Gakinga (magpie goose). Gakinga welcomes balnba (the wet season). This is a time of rejuvenation.

The Wagaman tank shows the Mudla (mudcrab), which is a healthy bush tucker found in local creeks, coastal flats and river mouths.

At the Moil tank you can see Damibila (barramundi), as it waits patiently for the wet season and when the rivers overflow. This is a joyous time for barra as they head to gudndimidjinda (saltwater) and the overflowing karawa (fresh waters) to spawn.

Meet the Artist

Denise Quall is a local Larrakia visual artist and painter and a direct descendent of the Dangalaba Clan. Born and bred in Darwin, Denise creates contemporary artworks across a variety of mediums including print, fabric, and paint. Final works selected will be based on original lino cut artwork designs by Denise, and included within a set of artworks, with Designer Ciella Williams, to irrigation tank specifications.

Ciella Williams

It was such a pleasure to ‘remix’ Denise's artworks into a large-scale digital format. We had an initial adventure together, visiting all the oval sites and discussing family histories, birds, trees, and colours. I then got to photograph her portfolio of amazing prints and paintings - there were so many beautiful works to choose from! I began by cutting out animal and plant motifs to feature and extending more pattern-based works for backgrounds. I created some initial mock-ups, and we sat together to play with colours and placements while her grandkids drew pictures in my lounge room. It was a truly lovely and very Darwin process, and I hope we can work together again. 

Meet the Designer

Ciella Williams is a local visual artist and graphic designer born and bred in Darwin. As a graphic designer, Ciella works predominantly in digital formats, as well as branding and illustration. Ciella is one half of the Creepy Curlew design studio team also based in Darwin.

Danny Crichton

Local artist and designer Danny Crichton has created the series Coastal Nature for the Irrigation Tanks. His series is inspired by the flora and fauna of Darwin’s northern suburbs shoreline areas. Danny’s designs reimagine nature with a playful, vibrant style and a bright colour palette. The artworks are located throughout the Richardson Ward at Nakara, Wanguri, and Tiwi sports ovals. 

Artist Statement 

My artworks focus on beauty and repetition in nature. I used inks to create the initial drawings for a fluid and textured effect and then, using digital design techniques, I developed each of them into the duplicated patterns. I wanted to focus on recognisable creatures and plant life that are familiar to the Darwin area. 

Coastal Nature features the Box Jellyfish artwork on the Tiwi oval tank, located in a suburb close to Casuarina Beach.  Serene looking but venomous Box Jellyfish are more likely to be in Top End waters from October to June during ‘stinger season’. 

The Hermit Crabs work can be seen on the Nakara oval water tank. They use sea snail shells for their homes and, although they can live in water, they are really ‘land lubbers’. 

The bright Frangipani Flowers feature at the Wanguri oval water tank site. The Frangipani is an iconic tropical tree bearing clusters of colourful and scented flowers during the Build Up and Wet Seasons. 

Meet the Artist 

Danny Crichton is a visual artist and graphic designer who has called Darwin home for over ten years. Originally from Adelaide, Danny has been an active participant in the Darwin visual arts scene since arriving in the Top End, with solo and group exhibitions. He is adept at both drawing and painting, as well as digital artwork and layout and delivers everything from tea towel design to full wall decal murals. Danny creates iconic branding for local institutions, arts organisations, and businesses, and is co-founder of Creepy Curlew design studio. 

Jason Lee

Gunamidirra (meaning saltwater) has been designed by Larrakia artist Jason Lee. Gunamidirra can also be seen throughout the Darwin CBD and the Smith Street Mall on concrete planter boxes and metal benches in a brilliant blue colourway. This version for the Irrigation Tank project is in the Lyons Ward. 

Artist Statement 

For the tank artwork, I rescoped the design to feature in vibrant pink for a refreshed and different colour option. And to contrast with the parkland environment that its in. My original artwork was translated digitally into a repeated pattern, so that it would work well on the tank site and keep my initial idea and features of the design intact. 

Gunamidirra references the coastal placement of Darwin, my country and the ongoing custodianship of saltwater people living here. The artwork can be seen on the Woods Street water tank.

Meet the Artist 

Jason Lee, of Bidjipidji Art, is a self-taught Larrakia artist living on saltwater country. He started learning his gulumerrdjin (Larrakia) culture from a young age, which was further cultivated during his teenage years and through learning Larrakia language. Jason’s dreaming is the dragonfly, bidjipidji (pronounced beedj-peedjee) in Larrakia language. His work includes both traditional and contemporary styles and spans a range of formats including illustration, decal design and drone light show conceptualisation as part of the Darwin Festival. Jason also creates large scale murals as part of the Darwin Street Art Festival and for other local businesses.Read more about Jason and his work here  

Gloria Richards

Local visual artist and designer Gloria Richards created Happy Tank 1.0 for her waterside location. Gloria’s site-specific work is inspired by the surrounding Lake Alexander ecology, human outdoor activity, and the built environment and neatly connects to her Happy Place 2.0 works located throughout East Point Reserve. Happy Tank 1.0 integrates stylised, interlocking geometric line work, retro curves, and distinct colour combinations to revive and add joy. Her Happy Tank 1.0 artwork is in the Chan Ward, located beside Lake Alexander. 

Artist Statement 

The Happy Tank 1.0 artwork connects stylistically with Happy Place 2.0, with further references to water and irrigation and aims to provide an impression of growth. This work was created digitally, with the repeated geometric elements, lines and bold colour adding to the goal of creating a sense of eclectic happiness at Lake Alexander.  

Meet the Artist 

Gloria is a local Darwin visual artist and graphic designer and founder of Studio G Darwin. Across her work, Gloria applies creative and bold use of colour to create unique spaces for people to be in and to evoke positive, joy filled experiences as a result.