March 16, 2022

Words: Athena Waligore

Photography: Courtesy of Taylor Knights

This Installation by James Carey and Taylor Knights Invites a Sense of Awe

An installation on the grounds of a Melbourne, Australia, gallery by James Carey and Taylor Knights invites visitors to wade and wonder. The striking creation involved 15 landscapers, engineers, and fabricators led by James Carey, Peter Knights, and James Taylor. At a glance, it features 6,000 square feet of recyclable cement sheets and 12,000 galloons of water. “It facilitates an open and inclusive environment to reflect on our current ecological adversities,” shares Taylor Knights. Take a look at how the team brought the installation to life below.

pine beams set the foundation
For pond[er], winner of the annual NGV Architecture Commission at Australia’s National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne architecture studio Taylor Knights and Sydney artist James Carey began by installing a sub­floor of marine-grade plywood panels and ethically sourced pine beams in the museum’s Grollo Equiset Garden.
the subfloor of Taylor Knight's piece
The subfloor forms a platform around Draped Seated Woman, a Henry Moore bronze that’s part of the NGV’s permanent collection.
The resulting 49-by-70-foot expanse gets topped by cement sheets and then a waterproof pink cork liner before it’s filled with water
The resulting 49-by-70-foot expanse gets topped by cement sheets and then a waterproof pink cork liner before it’s filled with water pumped from an existing source on the grounds to become a “pond.”
Sheets of pink fiberglass-reinforced plastic grating
Sheets of matching fiberglass-reinforced plastic grating were trucked into the museum’s garden.
a pathway to the pond.
The plastic forms a pathway to the pond.
The finished installation includes a long bench that matches the blush-hued color of the water element.
A 52-foot-long bench has been made from the same FRP that forms the walkway, the color of it and the cork liner chosen to reference Victoria’s many blush-hued salt lakes as well as high­light the importance of water as a natural resource. Behind the water element, a bed of over 200 species of native wildflowers by Ben Scott Garden Design is part of pond[er], which is on view at the NGV through August 28; after the installation is dismantled, the plants will be distributed to Landcare, Indigenous, and community groups.

A child plays in the water element of the installation.
The installation invites play and community engagement.

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