The Search by Elliot Routledge

Diners in Westpoint’s newly refurbished restaurant and entertainment precinct are welcomed by a sculpture of one of Blacktown’s most important (and endangered) native inhabitants – the Green and Golden Bell Frog.

Sydney artist Elliot Routledge chose the amphibian, which is commonly found in local wetlands and nature reserves, as a ‘totem’ for the Blacktown community.

The frog sits atop a 2.4m sculpture balancing on a rock, to represent the bedrock foundation of Blacktown, and a smiling face, reflective of the friendly, social atmosphere of Westpoint.

Routledge says like those dining at Westpoint, the frog is poised in search of food and the pillars it perches on are a reminder of the delicate balance required to maintain local habitat alongside human amenity.

Routledge, who was born in Tokyo and lives in Sydney, is a contemporary abstract artist with public art installations throughout Australia (notably, a large city mural installation in Pitt Street, Sydney) and throughout parts of the world (including exhibitions in the US and Vienna).

Find his sculpture at the car park entrance to the new Level 4, near Nandos.

Learn more about Routledge’s work https://instagram.com/funskull or https://www.elliottroutledge.com/