Project Description:

Commissioned by Waverley Council and developed in collaboration with Cultural Capital, the Bondi Mermaid Garden reimagines the iconic Bondi Mermaids as a living artwork. We began by asking: What would a garden for a mermaid look like?

This question guided a design that merges landscape, art and ecology — a space shaped by the coastal rhythms, materials and mythology of Bondi.

At its centre, a shallow reflection pond draws inspiration from local rock pools and aligns with the headland of Ben Buckler, the site of the original bronze mermaids. After rainfall, it mirrors the sky and becomes an ever-changing artwork that ebbs and flows with the weather and celestial cycles.

Excess water is directed into a bordering garden of flowering perennials and semi-aquatic native grasses, echoing the colours and textures of kelp forests. Embedded within the paving, fossilised mermaid forms engage playfully with visitors’ shadows — blurring the line between human and mermaid, myth and landscape. 

Ephemeral yet grounded, the Bondi Mermaid Garden stands as a living symbol of regeneration, fluidity and our connection to the natural systems that shape Bondi’s coastal identity.