The Western Roads Upgrade project, the biggest single investment in Melbourne’s suburban road network, was delivered by Major Road Projects Victoria and the Netflow consortium as part of a Public Private Partnership, which includes maintaining a 260-kilometre arterial road network from Footscray to Werribee for an additional 20 years. Jon Campbell's Backyard, the result of an independent commission selection process run by McClelland, and is installed at the Duncans Road exit on the Princes Freeway in Werribee.

Backyard represents a stylised pop version of Campbell’s childhood backyard in the western suburb of Altona. A linear, multi-coloured design, like a billboard floating in space, Backyard invites viewers to reflect on their own environment and the spaces they inhabit. As Campbell notes, in Australia 'there is a myth attached to the backyard and a strong desire to have one. Maybe the backyard is not everyone’s dream, but as a space for connection, contemplation and shared activity it remains a desirable and aspirational goal of suburban Melbourne.'

Born in Northern Ireland in 1961, Campbell moved to Australia in 1964. He lives and works in Melbourne. His practice spans sculpture, painting, drawing, printmaking, and music, in a contemporary Australian pop style. He often works with text and humour to highlight Australian slang and vernacular phrases, and what these reveal about contemporary Australian culture and society.

Images: Jon Campbell, Backyard 2021, Princes Freeway, Melbourne. Photos Urban Art Projects (top) and Geoff Miller (bottom).