Hourglass Tree (2025)
Image Credit: Jenni Carter
Audio description
Audio descriptions were produced by Access2Arts.
Artwork information
- Title: Hourglass Tree (2025)
- Artist: Mark O'Ryan
- Location: Hercules Street Parklands, Dulwich Hill
Text description
Signage text
Hourglass Tree brings diverse fauna habitats into our urban environment. A multi species design that recognises the importance of the GreenWay as a wildlife corridor as well as a transport corridor. Over time, the work aims to support connection in the Inner West community. Connections between people, flora and fauna.
Made of recycled ironbark wood from buildings of the inner west, this work stands where a turpentine ironbark forest once stood. Vestiges of nature remain in these building materials and this work attempts to recognises its presence, prompting us to consider our origins in nature.
Land of the Gadigal and Wangal peoples.
Description
Mark O'Ryan's Hourglass Tree, made in 2025, is a sculpture formed of three vertical pillars that rise towards the sky from a circular concrete base. The sculptural elements are each approximately 3 metres high, the entire sculpture area is approximately 2 metres in diameter, and is surrounded by newly planted vegetation.
Two thick rippling columns of steam bent timber, carved to curve upwards, billowing and ribbon-like, flank a central column composed of thinner vertical planks, which overlap and point straight upwards.
The rippling sculptures are formed of carved timber panels, each approximately 20cm wide, are curved upwards. The inner waves facing into the central pillar are painted with a dark varnish. From the path, viewed more side-on, these central dark waves are less visible, and instead we see two outward facing sides clad in rough textured orange copper. These side pieces are wide at the base and squiggle upwards to thinner points at the top.
The central pillar is set on an orange painted hexagonal steel column, upon which vertical planks of dark wood overlap. Their orientations shift, like the columns of a quartz crystal formation, with some planks facing outward with orange-painted sides, while others are flat with their unpainted sides showing. Interspersed through the cluster of planks are smaller rectangular panels of bright turquoise, contrasting vibrantly with the earthy red tones of the entire sculpture. The planks are secured with large bolts and screws in random places.
The curved forms of the two outer structures contrast starkly with the straight, ordered lines of the inner structure.
Surrounding context
Hourglass Tree is installed along the light rail track runs parallel to the GreenWay on the right side of the path, protected by cyclone wire fencing.
To the right of the sculpture, the path continues as a bridge formed of plastic slats, and to the left, it leads towards a street running perpendicular. The path curves left and continues parallel alongside this street.
Conclusion
This concludes the audio description of Hourglass Tree, written by Hen Vaughan for Access2arts. Hourglass Tree is one of eight artworks that explore themes of, and collaborate with, the natural environment, local rail history and native flora and fauna, curated by GreenWay Public Art Program.