By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
BLOOMING from the ground up Clyde North is home to the City of Casey’s newest piece of public art.
Serving as a metaphor in more ways than one the billy button flower-inspired sculpture stands tall at the main entrance to the Bloom estate on Berwick-Cranbourne Road.
In harmony with the growth of the Clyde area, the 12 shooting billy buttons are flowers native to the region, and according to artist Matthew Harding are also endangered.
“The name of the estate being Bloom was the origin for the brief – the sculpture is a wonderful association with the name and so bright and intense and it has a playful quality about it,” Mr Harding said of his design.
Mr Harding, who has sculpted public art for the past 30 years, was specifically chosen by 5 Squared Property Group for the vital entrance welcome, which has had a warm response from locals and land owners.
“I was quite surprised with myself, I normally pick all the faults in my work but there have been a lot of positive comments,” Mr Harding said.
Co-founder of 5 Squared Property Group Ashley Lewis said Bloom tried to push the boundaries with the striking sculpture.
“We approached Matthew, he is a renowned artist and we see the piece as something to unite the Bloom community and become something they can be can be proud of,” Mr Lewis said.
Unveiled in late October, the sunny billy buttons were fully funded by the estate.
“We didn’t get council funding, but they have been very pro-active about public art and we had a lot of assistance from the City of Casey the whole way through,” Mr Lewis said.
The Bloom estate is 90 per cent sold and has 30 blocks of land left to sell on Saturday 7 November.
For more information visit bloomclydenorth.com.au
