Jade Oakley - Second Nature, The Avenue Park, Caroline Springs
T Projects led the commissioning of a new major public artwork in Caroline Springs on behalf of our client City of Melton Council. The artwork is the first in a series of artistic responses to rapid change in demographics, social cohesion, and cultural identity of the city.
We supported the artist Jade Oakley to undertake extensive community consultation workshops involving a wide range of participants - from young families through to local retirement village residents.
Jade collected drawings from people who attended community workshops and worked with Comcut to etch a selection into the concrete paths leading to where the main sculpture stands.
These drawings tell the story of growth, progressively changing from patterns found in nature to the pattern of community growth seen in drawings of maps.
The resulting artwork Second Nature stands by a playground in The Avenue Park. The commission has two elements: etchings in the patterns in the pathways and a leaf-inspired sculpture that provides a central-point for visitors – a place of shelter and play.
“The way a community grows is like roots underground or the veins in a leaf – branching patterns. When you look at a leaf you see the veins creating branching patterns and linking across the landscape. And if you look at a map of Caroline Springs you see the streets making similar patterns. So, the leaf is really a metaphor for growth.”
– Jade Oakley
jade oakley
In a spirit of discovery and experimentation in her studio practice Jade creates delicate, joyful artworks. She is endlessly excited by the process of transforming materials from solid to ethereal, for example perforating metal by hand until it is more air than metal or creating kinetic artworks from steel that drift on a breath.
To Jade, the great challenge and delight of public work is adapting her delicate studio work to become large scale and enduring works. She is intimately involved in the process, collaborating with architects, designers and fabricators transforming the authentic, unique artwork created with her own hands through sophisticated, innovative fabrication processes without losing the ‘magic’ of the original work.
Making art for public spaces has also made Jade increasingly interested in how people use public spaces and how the public can interact with an artwork. This interaction can be a physical interaction – playing, climbing, the artwork and a gathering space – or a conceptual exchange, where it communicates a concept to the viewer. Better still is when an idea or theme from the community is reflected back to the viewer.
Jade strives to make artworks that are visually integrated with their site. She feels strongly that public sculpture should have a strong thematic relationship with the natural or cultural history of its setting. Aesthetically the artwork should feel that it belongs in the space, whilst also becoming a landmark feature.
