Illawarra Placed Landscape

Artist: Mike Hewson
Cabbage-tree palms (Livistona australis), carved local sandstone, structural steel, computer-controlled irrigation system and other materials

Illawarra Placed Landscape is a permanent public artwork in Wollongong’s CBD commissioned by Wollongong City Council in 2015. The artwork was created by New Zealand-born artist Mike Hewson and includes multiple elements spread across a 230-meter area in the Crown Street Mall. The artwork features natural elements from the Illawarra region, including cabbage palm trees and sandstone formations, and brings them into the urban environment in a playful and unique way. The artwork includes a 17-metre tall “palm pole,” palm seats, forklift rocks, and a natural playground made from carved sandstone formations. The artwork is designed to grow and change with the community. The four cabbage palm trees used in the artwork were rescued from being destroyed by timber logging extraction and are estimated to be between 75 and 100 years old.

Click here to see more information about artist Mike Hewson.