PORTRAIT OF AN UNFAIR FUN PARK
By: Martin Sharp
Limited-edition screenprint

In 1973 artists Martin Sharp, Richard Liney and Tim Lewis were commissioned to redecorate the entrance towers and face of Luna Park. In 1979 a fire in the ghost train at Luna Park killed seven people and the investigating Coroner found that there had been a serious breach in the duty of care.

The Historic Houses Trust (HHT) exhibition Luna Park: fragments of a funfair was produced in collaboration with Martin Sharp and the Luna Park Reserve Trust. Commissioned by the HHT to design a publicity poster, Sharp’s concerns for the park’s future are captured by the poster’s powerful imagery and text. The words ‘lest we forget’ and the slipped ‘f’ from the word ‘funfair’ are strong reminders of how a place ‘just for fun’ became a place of tragedy