Anzac Day weekend marked the launch of an ambitious tri-national installation project by UNSW Art & Design lecturer and public art artist Allan Giddy.

Throughout history the basic need for water has brought people together around precious sources of the life sustaining liquid such as billabongs, streams and wells.

In his latest installation Giddy, has built three soundscapes utilizing existing communal wells in Australia (Sydney), Turkey (Canakkale) and New Zealand (Wellington). 

Giddy has lined each well with electronic equipment that collects ambient sounds, such as people’s voices, passing traffic and bird calls, and transmits them in realtime to the sister wells via 'virtual holes through the earth'.  The audio emitted from each well is clear enough for people in all three countries to hold conversations with one other.

Giddy calls the works, Sonic Wells, and says he hopes they will “become contemporary gathering places” that foster ongoing relations between Australia, New Zealand and Turkey and 'further evolve the story of Gallipoli'.

The Sydney well is located the newly renamed Auburn Memorial Park, home to Auburn War Memorial and the Australian Turkish Friendship Wall, and positioned in close proximity to Auburn Gallipoli Mosque. 

The three Sonic Wells will be in operation from 23 April to 22 July 2016. Check out the one closest to the Paddington Campus at Auburn Memorial Park, Corner Rawson Street & Station Road.