Art and conservation create invisible connections and public reflections at a unique gathering

Atop a step ladder in Melbourne’s City Square on Wednesday, 12 May at 12:30pm, internationally acclaimed artist, John Wolseley, launched “Invisible Connections”, a book depicting the dramatic journeys of migratory shorebirds, while putting the finishing touches on his mural, Australia’s largest waterbird scene…

View images of the launch via:

“Invisible Connections” is a stunning photographic journey that follows the migration of shorebirds flying from their breeding grounds in the Arctic through East Asia to Australasia. It brings to life the journeys undertaken by migratory shorebirds in the East Asian – Australasian Flyway, the importance of their staging sites and the need for international cooperation to maintain this cycle. It highlights one of nature’s most spectacular phenomena and reveals the surprising and little-known connections that exist between countries, habitats and people through this migration.

John Wolseley is one of 5 artists commissioned by the Melbourne City Council for an exciting public art initiative titled “Propositions for an Uncertain Future” on the theme of sustainability. He is a world-renowned painter, known for his unique depiction of the Australian landscape and its flora and fauna, as well as being a passionate conservationist.

John’s inimitable style burst out of the site where the fountain in the City Square used to be, in an impressive celebration of the bird life of our wetlands. Influenced by current conservation issues, this mural reflects the story of the federal government’s recent buyback of the Gwydir wetlands north of Moree, NSW, one of the largest Ramsar sites in Australia.

Visit the City of Melbourne website to learn more about “Propositions for an Uncertain Future” public art initiative or the CSIRO Publishing website for a sneak preview of “Invisible Connections”.