Melbourne artist and designer Mark Cuthbertson with his entry in the 2025 Sculpture in the Gardens. Photo: Zoe Cartwright.
A miniature construction site popped up in the Wollongong Botanic Garden this week, as Melbourne artist Mark Cuthbertson oversaw the installation of his sculpture, Billa.
In high-vis and steel-capped boots he expertly coordinated the construction as a crane placed each section of the work with precision.
The biennial Sculpture in the Garden Wollongong will see 18 artists selected from across Australia exhibit their work from 1 – 30 April.
Billa is the first piece to be on display, and while its installation was industrial, the work itself weaves a subtle story about place.
Billa is a large cement birdbath, made of a concrete base topped with an enormous concrete bowl.
The edges of the bowl are broad enough to sit on and are etched and stained with the prints of leaves taken from trees in the gardens.
The effect is almost fossil-like. It comes to life when water spills out of the bowl’s central, pebble-lined well.
In the middle of the well is a large piece of volcanic basalt to provide sanctuary for small birds and lizards.
The rock, along with the pebbles, was taken from the artist’s home.
Mark said although concrete wasn’t what came to mind when most people thought about art, it had a hidden magic.
Billa is installed by crane at the Wollongong Botanic Garden. Photo: Zoe Cartwright.
“Concrete is an amazing material; it’s alchemical,” Mark said.
“It can be incredibly subtle and fluid or harsh and brutal; it’s made from rudimentary materials; you see it everywhere in the industrialised world from footpaths to high-end housing and that’s my attraction to it.
“Part of my concept was to include plants of significance from the site to connect it to the landscape.
“The leaves were selected by staff here at the gardens and they were inserted into the mold before the pour.
“If you look closely you can see the structure of the leaf and everything, the impression it leaves is quite intricate.
“The bird bath is a universal, functional idea in a garden and my thoughts were how do I make that relevant to this site?
“The water will provide a link with the fauna in the gardens; birds will use it, bees will use it, insects will use it, so it’s not so much about how us humans interact with the work but how the environment interacts with the work.
“The plinth has some small openings in it and I’m hoping that will become habitat as well.
“As it ages it should start to develop a patina of algae which will only add to it. It’s taking everyday materials and elevating them to another level, placing reverence on the everyday.”
It was no easy feat to transport Billa from Melbourne to Wollongong. Mark estimates the cost came in at about $6000, and it will cost just as much to take it back – unless Billa takes out the $30,000 Acquisitive Prize.
Mark will vie with Glenn Barkley, Jenny Reddin, S A Adair, David Doyle, Robyn Rumpf, Gary Christian, Dr Virginia Keft, Mechelle Bounpraseuth, Danny Ivanovski, Leen Rampe and Virge Nielsen, Chris Wilson, Damien Butler, Fe Heffernan, Angela Forrest, Stephanie Quirk and Bianca Hester for a share in $43,000 worth of prizes, presented by Wollongong City Council.
The sculpture that wins the $30,000 Acquisitive Prize will remain in the gardens.
The sculpture that wins the new $10,000 Ephemeral Prize will also remain in the gardens – for a time.
The Ephemeral Prize is for works made of natural materials that will decay over time. Part of the appeal of ephemeral works is their impermanence.
Sculpture in the Garden Wollongong has scheduled a series of free playful public workshops, talks, walks and events to coincide with the exhibition with something for all ages and abilities.
Sculptor in residence, Greer Taylor is inviting visitors to the garden to collaborate on her interactive sculpture (through April) titled translucence: grief tells you what to love.
For more on the free public program, visit Sculpture in the Garden Wollongong.
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