Juxtaposed with the historic former Men's Convenience, where men met secretly and out of sight, this artwork recognises homosexuality is now in full view and well integrated into our local community. The artwork is a monument, both in its physical presence and in what it contains within its walls - the recorded history of gay rights. It celebrates the achievement of gay activists and the profound changes they have brought about over the past 40 years.

The title refers to the Stonewall Inn in Manhattan, where the gay riots on June 28th 1969 sparked an international response - including protests in Sydney's Oxford Street. 2010 commemorates the 40th anniversary of the beginnings of CAMP - the Campaign Against Moral Persecution, Australia's first openly homosexual organisation. The lamp post installed on the men's urinal plinth reinterprets the original post from the early 1900s, which carried street signage and illuminated the square.

Working with leading gay and lesbian activists from the 1970s and the local community, artist Annie Kennedy has created a resonant and powerful installation exploring the broader struggle for gay rights mixed with personal "coming out" stories written by members of the local gay and lesbian community. Annie, along with the City of Sydney, would like to thank those men and women who were at the beginning of gay activism in Australia and whose voices contributed to the oral history of the CAMP organisation. Their intelligence, courage and insights are inspirational. They are: David Abello, Peter Bonsall-Boone, Vera Bourne, Ken Davis, Peter de Waal, Michael Kirby, Robyn Plaister, Ivy Richter, Pam Stein, Lynn Thomas, Peter Trebilco, David Urquhart, Lex Watson, Sue Wills, Garry Wotherspoon. The contemporary gay and lesbian community of Sydney have generously shared their experiences by writing on the tiles that make this artwork. Their stories have been an invaluable contribution to completing this historical narrative that gives a glimpse of what it means to be gay in Australia. The artist would also like to thank her assistant on the project, Eleni Antoniou Holloway, whose good humour and hard work was invaluable, Dawn Rose who assisted in crafting the audio and Colin Scope for his skill in creating the lamp post. If you would like to add your story visit CAMP STONEWALL on Facebook.

About the Artist
Annie Kennedy was previously associated with Art & About in 2008, working with the Erskineville community on THE STABLES PROJECT. Annie is a National Art School alumnus and has for several months been artist-in-residence at the School while working on the CAMP Stonewall project. She has had several solo and group exhibitions and has a particular interest in public art and the exploration of social issues.

Miles' sculpture is a series of colourful large scale arachnid legs emerging from the disused underground men's convenience. The artwork's design and symbolic form is a direct response to the existing architecture of the site exploring the mystery surrounding the void made by the staircase. Underworld responds to the broader city space, dynamically opposing the forced grid of the site by providing large diagonal shapes made by the works faceted surface. Miles explores the past and present state of the site and gives voice to a now lost ecosystem and habitat that housed a very unique Sydney species - the Funnel Web Spider.

About the Artist
Dale Miles is a Sydney based sculptor working with a diverse variety of materials. A former student of the National Art School, since 2003 Dale has created work that questions the value of human progress and its effects on ecology. Some of Dale's work has been exhibited in Sculpture by the Sea in 2003, 2007, 2008, and 2009. In 2009 he was shortlisted for the Blake Prize and was recipient of the Clitheroe Foundation Emerging Artist Grant. Dale has also studied sculpture in Paris and Italy and in 2003 he won the Waverley Art Prize.

Dawson's sculpture was a friendly comment on the complex and very relevant issue of urban planning in a dense metropolitan environment. As the first work in the new public art program Unravel expressed the history and challenges of the site. While an apparently simple object, Unravel unsettled the mind and challenged the viewer. The work confronted many of the barriers in achieving the City of Sydney's vision to increase walking and cycling in the city. Effectively a large roll of asphalt that looked like it was unravelling, the sculpture celebrated the history of the city as it rolled out a section of road where Bourke Street once ran. Intended as a gentle provocation the work provided an opportunity for discussion about Taylor Square's uses and functions, challenging the dominance of urban infrastructure where the asphalt has come to represent the 'skin of the City'.

About the Artist
Louisa Dawson is a Sydney-based sculptor working primarily in large-scale public works. Since 2001 she has created sculptures that subvert the purpose of mundane and everyday objects in order to present a gentle socio-political critique. Some of Louisa's works have been short-listed for the Helen Lempriere National Sculpture Award (2004, 2005 and 2007) and exhibited in Victoria. She has also shown in Sculpture by the Sea (2001, 2005, 2006 and 2008). In 2007 she was the recipient of the RIPE Award, (Art and Australia and the ANZ Bank) and was awarded an Australia Council studio residency at the International Studio and Curatorial Program in New York