Sculptures - Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust

Australian Botanic Garden

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Sculptures in the Garden
Bottle Grass Created by John Petrie during his time as the first Artist in Residence at the Australina Botanic Garden in 2011. The sculpture is located on the eastern bank of Lake Sedewick and casts a beautiful reflection on the water of the lake.
Blue Ruin �Blue Ruin� was first painted mid 2006 and was inspired by similar works around the globe and elsewhere in Australia. The aim was to highlight the beauty of this long dead specimen, often overlooked by visitors except to wonder why it wasn�t �tidied up�. It now strikes a strident note in the landscape and has been transformed into a conversation point which we hope will be a catalyst for discussion about the value to the landscape of these natural features. Dead trees provide shelter, perches and nesting hollows to a wide range of animals - from invertebrates to bats and birds - and should be retained in the landscape if safe to do so. The work was funded by the Friends of The Gardens as part of a project �Enhancing the drive-through experience� that also provided the other series of sculptures on Cunningham Drive.
Buttercup 2009 was the 21st anniversary of the opening of the Australian Botanic Garden. To celebrate this milestone, staff of the Garden designed and constructed a giant replica of one of our tiniest local plants, the delicate Buttercup (Ranunculus lappaceus) which grows in the Cumberland Plain Woodland. To add movement to the sculpture, the petals are shaped to spin in the breeze.
Wallaby silhouettes Made of steel that allows the surface to oxidise naturally. A set of three wallabies in different poses located near the Woodland picnic area. Designed by John Petrie, 2004. Cut by Hardware Products Pty Ltd, James Ozone. Funded by the Friends of The Gardens.
Wedding Knot A solid, dry stone wall sculpture that symbolises mutual love, friendship, respect and loyalty. Many stones support one another each representing memory or emotion. The entwining arms of the �Knot' symbolise a lasting relationship. Designed and installed by Geoff Duggan, Master Craftsman dry stone waller, 2005. Funded by Friends of The Gardens.
Snails A set of three sculptures carved out of solid Pinus radiata using a chainsaw. Highlighting the rare Cumberland Land snail (Meridolum sp.) found in the Cumberland Plain Woodland. Designed, produced and donated by Keith Polsen, CPE Tree Services, 2005.
Unnamed Constructed of dried African Olive branches. Designed and created by Graham Chalcroft of Vertebrae, 2005. Funded by the Friends of The Gardens.
Tree Tower Uses recycled signage frames and African Olive branches. 'Located on a hill top, the positive and negative spaces of the silhouette form frame the background vistas to create a powerful visual statement.' Designed and created by Graham Chalcroft of Vertebrae, 2005. Funded by the Friends of The Gardens.
Branch Strokes Constructed using recycled materials. The design and layout of 'the branches create positive - negative images'. Designed and created by Graham Chalcroft of Vertebrae, 2005. Funded by the Friends of The Gardens.
Unnamed Designed and created by Graham Chalcroft of Vertebrae, 2005. Funded by the Friends of The Gardens.
Flower Field Uses recycled black poly pipe and iron pipe. The top half is allowed to bend so it moves in the wind like a field of flowers or grass. Designed and created by Graham Chalcroft of Vertebrae, 2005. Funded by the Friends of The Gardens.