Ian Marr » Letter-cutting

Rosetta Stone

ian — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:53:34 +0000

Ashfield’s Rosetta Stone was today installed, set and bolted to a galvanised steel cradle, outside Thirning Villa, a late Georgian villa set among tennis courts, a bowling club and a cricket ground, all of which were once orchards of the A’Beckett family.

Rosetta Stone by Ian Marr, installed at Pratten Park, Ashfield

The stone bears an inscription in nine languages of a fragment from Homer’s Iliad – ‘No stranger shall go empty from our door, for we ourselves have eaten the bread of strangers in other lands”.

The work is a foundation work for a sculpture garden associated with the Ashfield Council’s Artist-in-Residence program.

It floats as though it was a significant treasure from deep antiquity: which one day it may be.

Rosetta Stone detail, by Ian Marr, installed at Pratten Park, Ashfield

New column for the capital

ian — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 09:31:35 +0000

Classical column with folkloric expletive

Harris Hobbs commissioned this column for the capital. Pictured: Ian Marr, letter-cutter

Image from Nigel Lendon’s blog Iconophilia

Life is constant change …

ian — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:40:28 +0000

… but more intensely so if you are trying do do large scale work on industrial sites in Sydney.

Trucking out from Homebush Bay

Because car racing is coming to the Olympic site, my stonemason mate must leave Homebush Bay – great upheaval – and now he (and I) have a site on the old James Hardie factory site at Camellia, near Parramatta.

Farmed in the 1790s, it became part of the Macarthurs’ Elizabeth Farm estate before becoming, in the 1850s, a famous, beautiful and beloved camellia nursery. From 1916 to 1996 it was an asbestos board factory (and village for the workers). Now it is one of Sydney’s Cinderella places, a vast waste of concrete, bordered by mangroves and camphor laurels, the little Camellia railway station where the suburban trains toot – and the extraordinary burden of the James Hardie story weighing over it all.

Camellia, James Hardie site

Farming for ecological preservation

pennyjw — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:35:05 +0000

A new brochure explaining the seriously organic approach of the farming at Tinja Wines was launched today at a very lively feast in the winery.

Ian’s work is featured as part of the beautiful landscape of this Mudgee farm.

John Clare stone, Tinja Wines - lettercutting by Ian Marr

Taste Sunday in the Pavilion, 30/08/09

pennyjw — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 06:25:02 +0000

Last year Taste Orange @ Bondi was huge, and we are hoping for a busy time on the promenade on Sunday. Ian has brought down a big table to carve, and I will be bringing him sips of the best wine in the Pavilion.

Wind in the Willows slate table

pennyjw — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 22:58:40 +0000

An internationally active designer with strong links to the wine industry in South Australia, Barrie Tucker is showing one of Ian’s work as part of his Table masters web portfolio:

Barrie works in collaboration with a wide range of Australian artisans to create uniquely crafted boardroom, dining, coffee and occasional tables in contemporary and traditional styles.

Wind in the Willows - lettercutting and gilding by Ian Marr for Barrie Tucker's Tablemasters

Tripartite

ian — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:42:41 +0000

Broke it when I moved it! But isn’t that good …

Broken!

‘Hidden’, sculpture exhibition, Rookwood Cemetery

admin — Wed, 20 May 2009 02:18:59 +0000

A lamplit tour of the Rookwood sculpture walk tonight after kind interest in the works from the ABC’s Andrew Frost.

The whole ‘Hidden‘ exhibition is more than atmospheric!

Photo: Dot Wilkin