Slipstream

Neon Tubes, Steel, 100 x 100 x 400 cm

2025

Client: Haymarket Alliance

The elder platypus swims through the currents, creating drafts for its young to move playfully in the river. With its combination of uncanny features and an obliviousness to the judgement of others, the platypus continues to venture into unknown waters in search for its next feed, and a place to call home.

The creatures and their enigmatic appearance is juxtaposed with scattered plum blossom flowers, which for centuries have symbolised natural beauty in poems and paintings in numerous Asian countries. In contrast, the platypus was originally believed to be the creation of an elaborate hoax upon discovery in the late 18th century, and would only be celebrated for its unique identity much later, appearing in Australian currency and as a mascot for the Sydney Olympic games.

Slipstream celebrates the idea that changing attitudes can provide nourishment to communities, just as shifting currents can provide sustenance to marine life.