Jen Berean, Callum Morton and Linda Tegg (Monash Art Projects)

The Birds is a collaborative project by artists Jen Berean, Callum Morton and Linda Tegg, originally commissioned as a temporary sculpture for the Museum’s Ian Potter Sculpture Court at Monash University’s Caulfield campus. The project reimagines public art as a support structure for local biodiversity, exploring how sculpture can become a vehicle for observing and learning about the complexities of place.

A series of sculpted rock forms, drawn from and adapted to the surrounding environment, are designed to hold water. Through nearby cameras, the artists observe how birds interact with these forms, using the footage to better understand species diversity and behavioural preferences within urban settings.

Urbanisation has significantly reshaped habitats; at Caulfield, the artists initially noted non-migratory species such as common mynas, rock doves and little ravens dominating the courtyard. Over time, however, the sculptures attracted a wider range of life, including bees, a white-necked heron, possums and even a fox, demonstrating the potential for small interventions to enrich ecological relationships.

Permanently relocated to the Peninsula campus, the rocks offer a new opportunity to consider how we might better support the biodiversity we live and work alongside.

^{Photos: Jen Berean, Callum Morton, Linda Tegg
(Monash Art Projects), The Birds 2024, water, central upland granite, volcanic plain bluestone, western upland sandstone, copper, camera. Installation View: Monash University Peninsula campus. Courtesy of the artists}