A stunning pink pond is coming to Melbourne for summer
Subscribe
X

Get the latest from Beat

04.10.2021

A stunning pink pond is coming to Melbourne for summer

NGV

The pond channels the idyllic pink salt lakes dotted across the country.

Pond[er] is a striking new installation opening in inner-city Melbourne, evocative of the natural phenomenon that is Australia’s idyllic pink in-land salt lakes.

Constructed at the NGV International, Melbourne’s first pink pond will grace the Grollo Equiset Garden (the gallery’s sculpture garden) and references Sir Roy Grounds’ open-air courtyards in the original design of NGV International, bringing some serious beauty to a city that’s had its lights dimmed for too long.

Stay up to date with what’s happening in Melbourne here.

The pastel body of water, titled ‘pond[er]’ is the work of the winner of the NGV’s 2021 Architecture Commission, and will be designed and produced by architecture firm Taylor Knights and artist James Carey. The national competition is an opportunity for architects to create a temporary, site-specific structure for the gallery’s garden and this design is pure brilliance.

In addition to the large, pink pool of water, the installation will also feature beds of native Victorian wildflowers that will bloom at varying stages throughout the installation’s stay. It’s sustainable too, with the installation’s materials to be sourced or made locally and to then be distributed to Landcare, Indigenous and community groups for further use following its de-installation later next year.

Best of all, you’ll be able to splash your way through the striking pastel-pink water, or if you prefer, just take in its beauty from a series of interconnected walkways and accessible platforms.

As the title of the piece suggests, visitors sitting around the pond, dipping their toes in and cooling off this summer are asked to ‘ponder’ on what they see, being water, our most precious natural resource, and its scarcity as well as the beauty and temporality of nature.

NGV director, Tony Ellwood, said “Through an elegant interplay of architectural and landscape elements, this work draws our attention to the challenges facing Australia’s many catchments and river systems, whilst also ensuring that the design itself has minimal environmental impact by considering the future lifecycle of the materials used.”

The NGV’s pink pond will be on display from November 2021 – April 2022 at NGV International, St Kilda Road, Melbourne. Find out more here