Fatima Halloum
Veronique Derville’s sculpture for the upcoming Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show was inspired by wildlife she sees on her walks at Point Cook Nature Park.
The Wyndham artist was motivated by a desire to encourage the people who view her work to nurture the environment.
“I live close to the water, so cormorants, pelicans, all kinds of sea birds are my favourite subject and I think it’s amazing to create this with my own inspiration,” Ms Derville said.
“I will be showcasing a cormorant with a fish in its beak, made out of chicken wire and paper and placed on bluestone.”
For the cormorant and the fish to be able to survive in a garden, Ms Derville needed to figure out how to ensure the paper wouldn’t be ruined once exposed to outdoor elements.
“This paper has been layered over many weeks, with glue between each layer. So that makes it already really kind of strong because it’s kind of wood glue between each layer.”
The outer coating is then covered in paverpol which hardens the sculpture and keeps it protected from damage.
Despite labelling herself a strong environmentalist, Ms Derville hopes her art allows people to recognise the importance of looking after the earth without coming across too forceful.
“I want to show the people, not like ‘oh, you’re mean you’re using plastic bags’, I don’t want to do that,” she said.
“I want to show them how beautiful it is so that people are aware of the beauty of the environment and nature and garden and insects and how important it is to take care of it.”
