Inspired by the bower bird, this contemporary bower displays gathered objects and stories from the local Redfern community.
Artists: Greg Stonehouse, Susan Milne
Artwork description
Bower is inspired by the bower bird, which borrows blue objects such as pegs and bottle tops to attract females during his courtship dance.
The work represents a contemporary bower and consists of a concertina of screens with the pattern of feathers, surrounded by blue shapes set into the footpath. These shapes represent treasures from the experiences and stories of the local community in Redfern.
The community was invited to bring a favourite object to workshops held in April 2007. These objects were photographed and the stories recorded, then a blue glass cast was made that represented the objects to be set in the Redfern Street footpath.
Artists
Susan Milne and Greg Stonehouse are Sydney-based artists. They work in the public domain, the natural environment and galleries.
They step into a number of roles as curators, strategists, planners, writers, designers and artists, enjoying a collaborative approach to each place and its cultural layers.
Redfern and Regent streets upgrade project
We asked for expressions of interest from artists to provide a major work of public art as part of the Redfern and Regent streets upgrade project.
Five proposals were selected for public exhibition and Bower was chosen in response to community feedback.
