Tristan Kerr, City of Charles Sturt

Image: Tristan Kerr, Common Ground – Chief Street Pocket Park Pathway Design.

Tristan Kerr’s pathway design for Chief Street Pocket Park brings colour, movement and pattern into the everyday experience of passing through the site. Spanning the internal concrete walkway, the work transforms a functional path into a playful and engaging surface that unfolds over time, encouraging moments of pause, curiosity and interaction.

Responding to the history and character of Brompton, Kerr’s design draws on the suburb’s industrial past and close-knit community life. Working closely with students from Brompton Primary School, the work draws on the  exploration of local built forms, street textures, and shared neighbourhood spaces. These elements are abstracted into a bold visual language and narrative that feels both familiar and contemporary. The artwork becomes part of the park’s rhythm, revealing its story slowly as people move past it, instead of being seen from just one place.

In 2025, the City of Charles Sturt partnered with Guildhouse to commission an artist to develop a site-specific ground-based artwork for the Chief Street Pocket Park. Designed as a green link between surrounding streets and transport connections, the park provides space for both movement and rest within a growing urban neighbourhood.

Guildhouse managed the commissioning process from artist selection through to delivery, supporting the development of a work that is both visually distinctive and embedded in the identity of the site.

Artist Biography:

Tristan Kerr is an Australian artist and designer whose practice spans large-scale installation, typography and graphic-based public art. Known for his bold and contemporary visual language, he works with colour, form and typographic elements to create dynamic, site-responsive outcomes.

With over 15 years of experience, Kerr has developed a practice that moves between digital and physical environments, producing work that engages directly with architecture and public space. His projects often explore scale, repetition and visual rhythm, activating surfaces and inviting interaction from diverse audiences.

Kerr has delivered commissioned works and installations across Australia and internationally, with his work held in both public and private contexts.

Images: Tristan Kerr, Common Ground, Chief Street Pocket Park Pathway Design, photographs Tristan Kerr, Sam Roberts, Lana Adams and City of Charles Sturt.

Guildhouse Professional Services

Guildhouse Professional Services (GPS) is a South Australian leading public art consultancy, delivering end-to-end services for major public and commercial projects.

Established as Guildhouse’s social enterprise, GPS combines contemporary public art expertise with the governance strength of Guildhouse, the state’s peak visual arts body with over 60 years’ experience and membership base of over 1,200 artists, designers and craft practitioners.