Townsville Grammar School

Nature’s Impressions: Monuments for Environmental Stewardship 2024–25

Clay, recycled garden mesh, Arduino motion and thermal sensors, and lights
180 x 60 x 30 cm

About the Work

This artwork responds to the rich experiences and environmental nuances of the Gurambilbarra location of The Strand, capturing the impressions left by its people, flora and fauna in the clay. Comprising large-scale totem poles constructed from ceramic tiles, each component is created by the Townsville Grammar School community, fostering collaboration and connection. The artwork also responds to the audience and its environment through an interactive motion and thermal sensor lighting system that illuminates the sculpture as people move around it, allowing for dynamic light patterns. This is an exploration of the impact we have on our environment, good and bad. Crafted primarily from clay, sourced from the earth, and wrapped around palm trees, synonymous with The Strand, the sculpture stands as a monument to environmental stewardship and the importance of walking gently on the land, inviting the audience to reflect on their relationship with nature.

About the Artist

Artists and art teachers Athena Costopoulos and Meg Taylor have led this community project at Townsville Grammar School. Prep to Year 12 students across all three campuses explored the symbiotic relationship humans have with nature.

Athena is a multidisciplinary artist. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions. Athena’s recent practice centres around challenging the traditional use of materials and surfaces to create innovative artworks, often out of repurposed materials. This is her third collaborative artwork for Ephemera.

Meg’s projects include working with murals, painting, textiles, and sculptural works. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions. Meg has coordinated RADF projects and Youth Strategic Initiative projects across the Charters Towers region. Her recent work investigates the use of symbolism to tell visual stories about place, belonging and the link between people, landscape and nature in our modern world.