Birds of a Feather – Carla Gottgens

Audio description

Artwork information

• Title: Birds of a Feather (2025)
• Artist: Carla Gottgens
• Location: Johnson Park, Dulwich Hill

Text description

In Johnson Park – 600 metres south from the Davis Street tunnel, or 300 meters north from the Constitution Road tunnel along the GreenWay – Birds of a Feather is a series of 10 vertical birds feather sculptures made with painted steel and glass.

Each feather is installed in a row along the Eastern side of the GreenWay each standing approximately 2 meters tall and 50 centimeters wide. They vary in colour patterning and shape and each features a circular window with a clear or coloured to glass panel set at differing heights in each feather.

From the right side, approaching from Arlington light rail, the first feather has rippling jagged edges. It's painted black on the lower third, with a pale yellow middle section then black again in the top third.

It features great detailing with a gray central line running vertically through the center, with sparse slashes of great paint indicating feather texture.

The second feather along, has a slender base and a more bulbous shape at the top. At the base is a pointed segment of bright yellow, the middle section containing more angular sections of muted brown gray and white, which reaches out and coalesce in the top left point of the feather. A Central grey lines streaks up from the base through to the middle section of the feather.

The third feather is more slim and pointed on top with a central red tinted window and patterning formed a thick horizontal lines alternating between brown and cream. A central grey line streaks up from the base through the middle section of the feather.

The fourth feather juts straight up on the left side and has a more rounded edge coming down it's slim right side. The central window is positioned close to the tip of the feather.

A thick vertical strip of brown runs on the left side all the way up, accompanied on the right by angular stripes and lines of white, grey, lime green and orange.

The 5th feather, stubbier with around a tip, is mainly pale blue with a long leaf-shaped panel of dark blue on the left edge and a smaller organic blue shape further up on the right edge. The top curve of the feather is edging white, with a small point in the centre creating an M shape. The central circular window is tinted blue.

The sixth feather has two columns, both with a curved yellow shape at the base, then moving up into light grey and two mirrored streaks of dark grey stretch up vertically through the center, creating an inverted teardrop shape at the top. These colours are wrapped in rounded white bordering. The central circular window, positioned lower in the centre, is tinted a deep red.

The seventh feather has a grooved, jagged base in the lower third, then a chunky angular top section. The lower third is bright red then moving up, black on the left of the central grey line, and darker grey on the right side.

Two thick grey wedges are painted on either side of the black and grey panels, with three large white blobs, like bubbles or clouds overlayed on the top and right edges of the feather. The central circular window is tinted yellow.

The eighth feather is slim with a straight left edge, sharp pointed tip and a slightly rounded right side. The feather is black, save for a rounded irregular white shape running vertically up the right side, and a central tapering grey line, pointing vertically from the base, to the tip of the feather.

The central circular window, positioned in the top of the feather, is tinted orange.

The ninth feather, the most narrow of all the feathers, has two white columns in the lower third, the rest painted periwinkle blue, with a curved panel of pale grey blue in the left middle section.

The tip of the feather is slightly rounded curving for the left with a thin white border on the top rounded edge. The central circular window is yellow.

The tenth and final feather, tall and rounded with a central vertical backline, has two pointed vertical stripes of white at the base and moves up into thick horizontal and irregular shapes of bright orange, brown and pale yellow, on either side of the backline. They have curved edges like the stripes of a tiger. The top third of the feather is white and rounded, with a clear orange rimmed circular window and a single brown line running on either side of the window.

Surrounding context

Birds of a Feather is installed in a mulched area along the eastern side of the GreenWay as it moves through Johnston Park.

Behind the feathers are tall established trees, including towering palms and gums, providing some shade to the path.

Some black cyclone fencing is setback from the landscaped area, with the light rail tracking behind. The tall trees obscure the view of the light rail.

Opposite the installation, Johnston Park has grassed areas, further landscape areas with low vegetation, and a shaded park area with a playground and timber parkbench with armrests.

Signage text

On bushwalks we often stop to collect a fallen feather, keeping it as a memento for our own nests. This collection of birds was chosen with the assistance of the Inner West Environment Group.

Can you find the following feathers? Magpie, yellow tailed black cockatoo, tawny frogmouth, kookaburra, red wattlebird, spotted pardalote, New Holland honey eater, white-faced heron, superb fairy wren, silver eye.

Please no climbing on the artwork.

The GreenWay is an environmental and active travel corridor linking the Cooks River at Earlwood with the Parramatta River and Iron Cove.

Construction has recently commenced on this landmark transformation of the Inner West.

The GreenWay public art program has curated eight new public artworks which transform this urban green corridor into a place that inspires visitors and residents to encounter cultural heritage and contemporary life, express deeper connection to place, engage with local stories, diverse communities and natural ecosystems.

The artworks explore themes of and collaborate with the natural environment, local rail history, and native flora and fauna.

Land of the Gadigal and Wangal peoples.

Conclusion

This concludes the audio description written by Hen Vaughan for Access2Arts.

Birds of a Feather is one of eight artworks that export themes of and collaborate with the natural environment, local rail history and flora and fauna. Curated by the GreenWay public art program.