After completing the mural in Mexico, I was invited to dinner with Australia’s Ambassador in New York City. After advising I had just completed the mural in Mexico, the Ambassador stated that they had just moved a bookshelf resulting in a daggy bit of wall that needed to be painted – so a mural soon developed.
After workshops and discussion sessions, it become obvious that two projects were needed: one for the foyer and one for the conference room. It was decided by the Australian staff, that the one in the conference room should be about the history of the U.N. After many discussions and amendments, it was decided the design should comprise of flags of all the nations of the United Nations with a map of the world superimposed over the top. Then, all the historical data over the top of that again; so, it became a multi layered painting.
The piece completed for the foyer was principally designed by locally engaged staff who were from America, New Zealand and Britain. A few collages were made up by cutting out images from books and magazines, to make up a democratically designed painting which would reflect most lifestyles and areas of Australia.