Olivia O'Connor, Rising Tides (ART & OBJECTS 2025)

Photos:

Olivia O'Connor

Video tour

https://www.facebook.com/100063470653670/videos/pcb.1403074941818181/619644310759485

Country

Australia

Rising Tides is a freestanding timber sculpture reflecting on climate change and rising sea levels. Three seagulls, hand-carved from offcuts of Huon pine with a knife, perch on pier posts turned from richly coloured myrtle burl. The gulls call out in varying states of agitation, alarm and disengagement, their cries echoing the uneasy relationship between the natural world and human impact. The choice of timbers was deliberate: the deep, rugged character of myrtle burl suggests erosion and resilience, while the pale softness of Huon pine carries the fragility of life at the water’s edge. This was my first experience turning burl — the first 2 posts turned like butter and the third post did test me! I am also unfamiliar with handheld knife carving work (I much prefer clamping my work and using traditional carving gouges) so this was an enjoyable exercise to test a new technique. At 47cm tall, Rising Tides is both playful and reflective, inviting the viewer to pause, listen, and consider the shifting balance of our coastal environments.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.