A design element of the Bali bombing memorial in Kings Park, which directed sunlight onto the names of the 16 Western Australians killed, has been undone by the construction of a skyscraper at Elizabeth Quay.
The memorial to the Bali bombing on the edge of the Mt Eliza escarpment was designed so that a shaft of sunlight would fall between two columns on October 12 each year, lighting up the plaque at sunrise and the names of those who lost their lives.
The plaque reads:
In the shadow of our sorrow we find a light,
With the dawn comes hope,
With the setting sun, time to heal
However the construction of the 52-storey EQ West tower at Elizabeth Quay meant that this year, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack, the plaque did not light up when relatives and survivors gathered for the service.
Keith Pearce, treasurer of the Bali Memorial Association, told Nadia Mitsopoulos on ABC Radio Perth it was "very disappointing for the crowd to not be able to observe the sunrise this year".
"We had a walk-through about a week before to set up, to make sure we had everything right.
"And it was then that I realised that the building would be blocking the sun."
This year was the 20th anniversary of the terrorist bombing at the Sari club in Kuta and attendance at the memorial was high.
When the memorial was built in 2003, the designers and architects were not able to take Elizabeth Quay into consideration, as it did not begin construction until 2012.
"And when they built Elizabeth Quay, they didn't take into consideration that buildings there would block the sunlight from shining on the memorial," Mr Pearce said.
"It's just one of those things that's happened, and what we need to do now is find a solution to the problem."
Design intended to bring people together
David Jones, emeritus professor of sculpture at Curtin University, who was the artist for the memorial, said the sunlight was a key part of how the monument was intended to work.
"The idea was that by having it at a particular time, it would bring the community together, particularly the families that were impacted by the bombing," Professor Jones said.
"It became a time that they all came together, when the light passes through and shone on the stone — that became the event.
"A lot of people that go there in the middle of the day don't really understand what is actually happening, it's an active thing, like a performance."
Professor Jones said he was disappointed the memorial wasn't considered when the EQ West building was approved.
"I realised this [issue] some months ago, when I went with a friend and I suddenly realised, 'Hang on, we've got a big problem here'.
"I think it's pretty insensitive that the buildings in Perth don't actually consider their alignment with other things happening in the environment and how they're impacted."
Association to weigh options
Mr Pearce said the two options were to move the memorial or to install mirrors and reflectors to redirect the light on October 12 each year.
"Anne Ali, the member for Cowan, who's a very strong supporter of our association, suggested that a set of reflectors or mirrors could do it," Mr Pearce said.
"I think moving it it would probably be my preferred option. I can't speak on behalf of the association because we haven't made a decision at this stage.
"But we'd need to have a look at it because if they're going to build buildings further up Langley Park in the future, then moving the memorial might only just move it to somewhere where it's blocked at some future date.
"We would need to be sure that where we moved to would have a clear view all the way up the river, so that future buildings couldn't obstruct it in the way this one has."
The options will be discussed when the association meets next month, with Mr Pearce conceding "there'd be an expense associated with anything that we do".
Professor Jones was uncertain about the viability of moving the memorial.
"The families, they made the decision where it was going to be," he said.
"The alignment is actually very specific, and the architects were very careful with their analysis of exactly where the sun would come each year.
"You can't just move that to another place, because again, the alignment is going to be incorrect."
Whatever the outcome, Mr Pearce hopes it will be resolved before next year's commemoration.
"Obviously, we would want whatever happens to be done as soon as possible, so on October 12 next year, we'll be able to see the sunrise and light up the names in the way it has in the past."
