The Feather Tree is down the road from my home studio in St Peters NSW. It's an anonymous community installation of Ibis and Cockatoo feathers inserted into the bark of a paperbark tree. The installation was well underway when I first encountered it two years ago, and despite its seemingly temporal ephemeral nature the feathers have held their positions or been replaced over time, so the installation continues to grow and change.
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| Kath Fries, The Feather Tree, 2013, photograph |
Sometimes White Ibis nest in the fig trees nearby and their large feathers float down, making them easy to collect from the footpath. Sulphur-crested Cockatoos also pay occasional screeching visits to the street, leaving an odd feather or two behind, which are added to The Feather Tree.
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| Kath Fries, The Feather Tree, 2013, photograph |
Like most locals, I usually add a feather to the installation when I walk by. You can't really see The Feather Tree from the road when driving past, so its a purely a pedestrian experience - and all the more special as a result. It's great to witness the double take and puzzled expression of an observant person walking past the installation. They often pause, examine it and then sometimes spontaneously add another feather into the paperbark.
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| Kath Fries, The Feather Tree, 2013, photograph |
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