Anzac Station
Melbourne, VIC
Set beneath Melbourne’s iconic St Kilda Road, Anzac Station forms part of Victoria’s Big Build, Metro Tunnel Project. Conceived as both a major transport interchange and a civic space, the station integrates architecture, infrastructure, and public art to create a layered and reflective commuter experience. Central to this approach is the use of printed glass as an architectural medium, supporting artworks by Dr Raafat Ishak and Fiona Hall AO, each realised using Viridian’s PixaGraphic™ technology.
At the Albert Road entrance, commuters encounter the Future Wall Painting by acclaimed artist Dr Raafat Ishak. Delivered at a monumental scale, the artwork transforms the transition from daylight into the underground station into an immersive visual experience. Composed of geometric forms and layered colour, the work is abstract in nature yet rich in reference, drawing on the architectural and cultural identity of the St Kilda Road precinct, including its ceremonial role and surrounding landscape.
In contrast, Fiona Hall’s printed glass artworks adopt a more intimate and finely detailed visual language. Installed adjacent to key circulation elements, Hall’s works depict botanically accurate plant forms that hold strong associations with remembrance and place. Rendered with restrained tonality and a distinctive red palette, the imagery introduces moments of pause within the station, bringing warmth and visual depth to otherwise utilitarian spaces. While conceptually distinct from Ishak’s work, Hall’s installations contribute to the same overarching narrative of reflection, memory, and movement.
Bringing both artists’ designs to life required a medium capable of faithfully reproducing vastly different visual approaches — from Ishak’s bold colour fields and expansive compositions to Hall’s delicate linework and tonal subtlety. Viridian’s PixaGraphic™ printed glass provided the flexibility and resolution needed to support both outcomes within a single architectural environment.
Manufactured using high-quality ceramic inks and photorealistic image resolution, PixaGraphic™ allows detailed imagery to be permanently embedded into glass. The resulting panels combine durability and low maintenance with exceptional clarity, ensuring the artworks retain their visual impact under varied lighting conditions and sustained public use.
At Anzac Station, the printed glass panels function simultaneously as artworks and architectural elements. They enrich the commuter journey while meeting the functional demands of a high-traffic transport environment. Together, the works by Ishak and Hall demonstrate the versatility of glass as a creative medium, capable of supporting contrasting artistic expressions while maintaining cohesion within a complex public infrastructure project.
Completed in early 2025, Anzac Station now stands as an example of how contemporary transport design can integrate art, material innovation, and place-making. Through Viridian’s PixaGraphic™ technology, two distinct artistic voices are embedded into the daily rhythms of the city, creating a station experience that moves beyond transit to reflection and connection.
Dr Raafat Ishak’s Artwork:
Fiona Hall AO’s Artwork:
