In Stockroute Park, Australian artist Robert Owen has created a sculptural landscape that links Sydney Olympic Park to the Olympic games in Ancient Greece and celebrates the Greek origins of many Australian citizens. Within a grove of eucalyptus trees, the apparent remains of an ancient temple emerge, with olive and cypress trees and five column drums – the number of Olympic rings. The large disc is embedded in the ground as though it had been hurled from ancient Greece by a discus-thrower (Discobolus). It has now become a contemporary disc – a CD-ROM. The eucalypt trees stand as custodians of the land and indigenous Australia. Olive trees are among the most ancient in existence and are the living connection between our contemporary Olympic Games and the original games held in 776 BC.  Olive branches were used to make crowns for the victors and hence the olive leaf is a symbol of victory and peace. The cypress tree, a symbol of immortality, was sacred to Artemis, the daughter of Zeus, and in the context of the Sydney site represents the immortal spirit of the Olympic games.

Fragments of architectural details and a dry stonewall reference ancient archaeological sites and boundaries. The trachyte cobblestones used in the seating wall opposite were salvaged from the State Abattoirs which operated on this site from 1910 to 1988.

Discobolus was funded by the Hellenic community of Australia and commissioned as part of the Homebush Bay Public Art Programme. This work was launched by the Honourable Michael Knight MP, Minister for the Olympics, on February 1999, and unveiled by His Excellency the Honourable Sir William Deane, AC, KBE, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia on 13 August 2000.

To download video and audio files on the development of the “Discobolus” artwork visit the Urban Art Audio Video Gallery .