Mosman Square
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Mosman Square was designed to provide an open space public area as part of the Civic Centre development project.
Mosman Square features the 1901 foundation stone and other plaques within the wall of the landscaped area and three water features, including two fountains donated by local residents.
The Antico Fountain is an 18th century Italian marble fountain donated by Sir Tristan Antico and the 19th century cast iron O’Keefe Fountain was donated by the Hon. Mr Justice Barry O’Keefe AM QC.
A recent addition in 2000 was the sculpture Meeting Place: Welumbulla Cyfarfod (pronounced: Well-um-bool-ah Ki-far-fod) created by Anne Ferguson on commission from the Mosman Public Art Trust.
The sculpture symbolises the coming together of two ancient cultures on common ground. Welumbulla is Aboriginal for coming back again to a place and Cyfarfod is Welsh for meeting or coming together, and is used as a reference to the Celtic ancestry shared by many Australians.
The sculpture consists of five granite blocks forming an ancient Celtic menhir. The sculpture features a flat top on which a linear, topographical map is engraved, depicting the local Mosman landscape and surrounding harbour. Water is pumped through the stone menhir to the top where it then spreads over the engraved surface in a shallow film before flowing down to the ground to be recycled.
The menhir is surrounded by a circle of star jasmine with three narrow, curved pathways leading from the edge of the circle to the sculpture. From an aerial perspective, the three pathways define a ‘triskelion’ pattern that appears in many ancient Celtic designs and images. The triskelion design has astrological significance, which is reinforced in the film of water on top of the menhir, as it acts as a mirror to the sky above.
Both the Celtic and Aboriginal cultures used the custom of engraving designs on local stones to mark places of significance. In this way, the sculpture continues an age-old tradition, defining Mosman Square as an important place in the community, a reference to the meetings of the Council of the Municipality of Mosman in the adjoining Civic Centre.
