James Giddy Completes Subiaco Cockatoo Mural
March 11, 2022
Hesperia’s commitment to protecting and raising awareness of Western Australia’s iconic black cockatoos has been crystalised with the completion of a commissioned red-tail black cockatoo mural on our building in Subiaco.
The mural is part of our support for BirdLife Australia, which began when a roost was discovered at our Roe Highway Logistics Park. Realising the plight of the Carnaby’s black cockatoo, we redesigned the estate to ensure the roost was undisturbed.
Managing Director Ben Lisle said this discovery led Hesperia to commence work with BirdLife Australia to help protect this incredible, iconic bird.
“I believe that our industry has a responsibility to protect the environment through a sustainable approach and we should always try to leave the environment better off than it was beforehand,” Ben said.
“We commissioned local artist James Giddy to create this piece to raise awareness of this amazing bird and encourage support for BirdLife Australia and Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre.”
Hesperia collaborated with local artist James Giddy, the ideal person to create the mural. Heavily inspired by the natural environment, James draws on environmental conservation in his artwork, aligning closely with our principle of sustainability.
“I am very conscious of my footprint on the world and I do things within my means to ensure that my footprint is light,” James said.
“I care for the environment and love that I can use my work to raise awareness. That being said, I haven’t structured my entire practice around environmental conservation and wouldn’t consider myself an activist. An enthusiast is a nice way to word it.”
Birds have become a feature in much of James’ mural work. Growing up around Herdsman Lake and Lake Monger, James has spent much time sketching the birds that live in the wetlands.
“The birds started to become more popular with my audience, and I was enjoying the dynamic I could create with them in the compositions on the walls,” James said.
“Birds are a familiar and relatable subject for most people, a lot of species share character traits with people and they are one of those background things to a lot of people. Even if someone doesn’t go out of their way to look at them, they experience them in most places that they go, whether it be the call or seeing them visually.”
Our work with BirdLife is ongoing, including the ‘Adopt a Cocky Nest’ initiative, which has already seen promising results for the cockatoo population. Through this program, Hesperia and donors fund the installation of artificial nests in known breeding areas.
Thank you to James for bringing this vision to life. We encourage you visit view the incredible artwork in person and to learn more about the projects it raises awareness for.
You can learn more about BirdLife Australia here and Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre here.