The art here is the art of the double act – of mimicry and diversion, of appearing and disappearing, of being part of a building and part of a landscape, of being part machine and part plant, or part chimney and part sky.
– Sonia van der Haar
Shades of Green is a fun yet functional artwork created as part of the upgrade to the public swimming pool in Sydney’s Prince Alfred Park in 2013.
The work consists of wide bands of colour painted on six chimneys. It is intended to be noticed in passing, rather than to be a destination for park and pool users.
The chimneys stand tall above the grassy berm that covers the pool buildings and hides the pool from the street beyond, in a cluster that deliberately echoes a stand of trees. Their design is one of several features, or ‘follies’ intended to bestow a fun, playful character to the pool precinct.
The colours of Shades of Green reflect those of the landscape around the chimneys – the greens of the trees and grasses, and the bright blue of the summer sky and the water in the hidden pool beyond. Meanwhile, the chimney bases are painted metallic silver, acknowledging their industrial function.
The artist, Sonia van de Haar, describes the chimneys as “serious and functional creatures who have dressed up for an outing.”