Gather at Summerset
Public Art
Cranbourne North, Victoria
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Art Strategy
Curation
Project Management
Engineering
Fabrication
Installation
Documentation
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Public Art
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Jessie Rose Ford
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WRAP
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Summerset Cranbourne North
CHC Architects
Summerset public artwork references natural landscape and lifecycles
Jessie Rose Ford is a botanical illustrator and landscape artist who has an abundant love of the natural world. Taking cuttings and references from the grounds around Summerset Aged Care facility, Ford developed a range of concepts to be rendered in Corten steel, which will weather and become increasingly variegated over time.
Gather is Ford’s first foray into public artwork at such scale, with the finished piece reaching 7 metres in height.
Our Role
WRAP was engaged to develop an art strategy and public artwork for the Summerset residential and aged care facility in Cranbourne North. We shortlisted artists, developed a comprehensive brief, and then selected Jessie Rose Ford on the strength of her concept. Project management, technical delivery, engineering, fabrication, installation and documentation were all part of WRAP’s services on the project.
The Result
Gather is a resonant and welcoming marker at the threshold of the building, and invites contemplation and respect for the natural surroundings. The commission enabled Ford to work on a scale she had never before explored, expanding her practice from the page to a large-scale public artwork which will be present for decades to come.
“The [artwork] centres around community and connection to nature and the land. All the plants were found close to the building. Corymbia trees lined the street as I drove up and it felt like they were welcoming me…the two branches are an extension of this feeling, with the overlapping leaves representing a crossing of time and a welcoming from one place into the next.”
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→ ARTIST/S
Jessie Rose Ford
Jessie Rose Ford is a botanical artist and contemporary oil painter based in Melbourne/Naarm, VIC.
Ford’s botanical pieces celebrate the intrinsic beauty and detail found in nature while highlighting the connection formed between artist and plant. Through careful observation and recording of each detail, Ford’s work brings the natural environment closer to us where it is visible to pause and appreciate.
Jessie teaches botanical art workshops in Melbourne, around Australia and online. She has received two prestigious awards including the Celia Rosser Medal for Botanical Art and the Highly Commended Award during Exhibitions held at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.
Through her art, Ford focuses on bringing us closer to the natural environment and ultimately celebrates the innate connection we all have with the natural world.
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