Ashfield: Fox’s Lane adorned with new artwork ahead of Inner West event

By DANIEL LO SURDO

Fox’s Lane in Ashfield has been adorned with public artwork ahead of a public event on Saturday, with the new installation hoping to spark the area into a reactivated, vibrant space for the Inner West community.

Fox’s Lane will be activated on Saturday evening for a night of artwork, workshops, performances and storytelling as part of Inner West Fest, a council-run initiative to help communities reconnect following the COVID-19 pandemic.

New artwork in the area includes the ‘There Will Always Be Light for You’ display, which features 27 hand-crafted, copper lanterns above Fox’s Lane that will be turned on during the event. The installation was created across 18 months by local artists Alessandro Berini, Selina Springett and Jayanto Tan as an emblem of the Inner West’s aspirations for harmony, and a physical reminder of the importance of community in times of crisis.

Lanterns to be turned on at Ashfield community event 

Each lantern displays different patterns, which will be cast on the path below while weaving a path through Fox’s Lane. The artwork was designed with consultation from community groups, with organisations such as the Inner West Aboriginal Advisory Committee, the Bill Crews Foundation and the Ashfield Park Community Gardeners all supporting the artists’ vision.

The lanterns will be turned on at 5:30pm on Saturday evening after a countdown at Fox’s Lane. The event will also include a storytelling and community arts cooking project, which hopes to build relationships between residents and people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds to build cultural awareness and solidarity.