🔴🟠🟡🟢🔵🟣⚫️ NEW DIRECTION  Ed. No. 193

- SHOWCASING THE DYNAMIC ENERGY OF SYDNEY AS A CITY

WHEN THINGS GO DARK 

IT'S TIME FOR VISION TO SHINE 

Clover Moore, Lord Mayor of Sydney with a model of the original Concept design 

of the dynamically inspirational public sculpture "Cloud Arch" by artist Junya Ishigami

 

From: Neville Williams 

Subject: Fwd: WHEN THINGS GO DARK IT'S TIME FOR VISION TO SHINE

Date: 4 July 2026 at 1:51:15 pm AEST

To: Clover Moore, LORD MAYOR OF CITY OF SYDNEY

Hi Clover,

       WHEN THINGS GO DARK IT'S TIME FOR VISION TO SHINE 

It was really good to run into you the other week at Bill & Toni’s in Darlo.

I’m writing to send you a copy of a commentary I’ve just sent to the Opinion Editor of the Sydney Morning Herald.

It is a supportive letter concerning the proposed Town Hall Square project. 

During the pandemic when the Project was under criticism you responded in writing to my letters printed in both the Herald and Telegraph seeking my support. I hope I've written something here that helps in some way with the realisation of the Project.

I also hope that we see a truly dynamic version of Junya Ishigami’s “Cloud Arch” as a centrepiece of the Project. 

May I be so bold as to make a suggestion?

The “Cloud Arch” as originally proposed always reminded me of a white version of the “Creator Serpent” or “Rainbow Serpent”. Adding the rainbow colours to the design and marking it as the serpent would make it entirely relevant as “the voice of the people”. Of course any evolution of the all white version would need the imprimatur and input of Junya Ishigami, our First Nations elders and the general support of the community. Anyway it’s just a suggestion.

We do all certainly need some inspirational hope presently.

If you wanted to have a chat about this over a coffee I’m happy to meet up with you. Perhaps Bill & Toni’s?

I’ll be in Wellington New Zealand (looking at Aged Care Homes) from this Monday 6 July to 24 July. 

Now that my Mum has sadly passed away it’s time for me to start solidly planning my transition to NZ. 

Warm fuzzies and yoo are the best Clover. Keep that flag flying.

Neville Williams

8 Palmer Lane

Darlinghurst NSW 2010

Phone: XXXX XXX XXX

___________________________________________________

 

From: Neville Williams 

Subject: WHEN THINGS GO DARK IT'S TIME FOR VISION TO SHINE

Date: 4 July 2026 at 1:20:57 pm AEST

To: Opinion Editor THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD <smhopinion@smh.com.au>

Cc: The Editor THE AUSTRALIAN <letters@theaustralian.com.au>, Letters Editor THE DAILY TELEGRAPH <letters@dailytelegraph.com.au>

Dear Editor,

WHEN THINGS GO DARK IT'S TIME FOR VISION TO SHINE

Just lately I am hearing some resurgent criticism of the City of Sydney’s proposal for a meeting place to occupy the block of land opposite Town Hall. This criticism is coming both from some members of the public and also some sections of the media.

Looking around my City and my world I wonder whether our hope for the future is starting to dim? 

I’m certainly seeing it in the eyes of some.

We are most definitely living in the presence of dark times. 

This is the very reason why we should be championing creative projects to inspire us and lift our morale, courage and hope for something better.

I know the Lord Mayor Clover Moore has expressed that she originally did not get much support for this community meeting place even though it has been nurtured across successive City Administrations for decades. The Lady has been passed the baton and doing the best she can. She always does as her consistent re-election demonstrates.

I was one of the people who criticised this same Project when it was evolving during the pandemic.

My comment was particularly to do with the dynamic centrepiece sculpture titled “Cloud Arch" designed by Japanese Artist Junya Ishigami. The original design was one that conceptually soared into the sky and would have been not only an unmistakeable marker for this central area of the City but a real and tangible expression and reminder of the life and the dynamism of the very nature of what Sydney represents. It’s the right place to locate “the voice of the people”.

My beef was that because of construction difficulties, little passionate support, the construction of the light rail intersecting the junction, money money money issues (always) and very real engineering difficulties a “compromised” version was put forward.

We’ve manufactured a world now of mediocre compromise. That’s why so many of us are experiencing suffering now. We’ve forgotten how to fly. The compromised version of the sculpture was then and is now anathema to me. I feel it wouldn’t have had anywhere near the impact on us as would have the original design. The original version was spectacular.

We’ve become used to mediocre as the norm.  

Sydney, are we going limp? The Sydney I know and love can do better. Don't we want to see us do our best in bad times? The Town Hall Square Project is an opportunity for us to show our mettle and inspire…ourselves for starters.

I can only encourage us to give the Lord Mayor our support.

Having worked as a Tour Guide at the opera house for 26 years I know the story of the creation of the house backwards. Bloody hard work it was. But look at it now. So many complainers at the time.            Mr. Utzon, wonderful man that he was, gave us a lesson in standards and we whinged the whole time like spoilt children. One building helped change our view of ourselves. The Sydney Opera House grew us up a bit as a Nation.

Sydney needs a community gathering space for the everyday citizen to gather and the Town Hall Square project is the place for it…just as long as the centrepiece sculpture inspires us to have a go. After all that is 'The Australian Way' …or used to be.

The current occupier of the proposed site for the community square is majorly Woolworths. While it is true that this is a central location for retail therapy isn’t the space to breathe in a crazy world just that bit more important? Shopping there is like participating in a bun rush sometimes edging on the descriptive 'bizarre bazaar’. 

This location should say something aspirational about us. We need the space to fly.

Kind regards,

Neville Williams is a Sydney Artist

8 Palmer Lane

Darlinghurst NSW 2010

Phone: XXXX XXX XXX

Celebrate life!

⚪️🔴🟠🟡🟢🔵🟣⚫️

 "Keep your face to the Sunshine."

- An expressed gift of love 

from the artist's best friend 

(the Late Robert Wright [1946-2012])

LET’S BE CLEAR

This retrospective exhibition that I’m talking about here

is not put forward as some pissy little show

I’m talking about a fully catered for function with guest speakers each speaking 

on the subject “NEW DIRECTION: Facing Our Future NOW”, 

seating for 200 invitees and professional theatrical lighting.

Media would be in attendance.

And it’s not like I’m inexperienced in organising big exhibitions 

(i.e. with people who are co-operative) 

And that is the conditionally key factor to success here.

I was completely in charge of designing and organising the 1st Prize Winning Best Government exhibition for (NSW Department of Main Roads [DMR]) at the 1988 Royal Easter Show in Sydney. There were around 200 Department staff working on that exhibition with a final working budget of $380,000.

We actually re-created the Sydney Harbour Bridge as a huge backdrop with a slippery slide that all the kids could slide down at that show. This was one of a short list of Exhibitions for this government department for which I was responsible. This included the renovation of the Sydney Harbour Bridge Pylon Lookout for 1988 Celebrations.

“If a thing’s worth doing…”

Neville Williams

 

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