Brimbank council has announced plans for a major new public artwork at the H.V. McKay Memorial Gardens in Sunshine, which will be created by Monash Art Projects (MAP).
The project, titled ‘The Birds (Sunshine)’, will feature six sculptural birdbaths created from honed granite, bluestone, and bronze.
The work will draw inspiration from the industrial heritage of the Sunshine Harvester Works and the surrounding basalt plains.
The artwork will provide a functional and artistic habitat for local birdlife, while offering the community new ways to engage with the H.V. McKay Memorial Gardens’ unique natural and cultural history, according to council.
Brimbank mayor Thuy Dang said council is pleased to be adding to the public art in Brimbank with a meaningful sculptural piece.
“The Birds will connect deeply with the legacy of H.V. McKay and the site’s industrial past while looking forward – creating something that is both reflective and functional for our community and its environment,” Cr Dang said.
“Public art brings people together, sparks conversation, and helps us see the world differently – and in Brimbank, we are proud to support work that strengthens our community in such powerful and lasting ways.”
The sculptural forms in the artwork will be adapted from the Sunshine Harvester Company’s original parts catalogue, reassembled as modernist compositions reminiscent of Cubist collages.
Council said the work will offer a poetic response to the machine age, reimagining industrial forms as vessels for care, regeneration, and connection with nature.
The newly-announced work in Sunshine extends another recent project by MAP commissioned by Monash University Museum of Art, which featured carved boulders shaped to collect water for birds on campus.
The original work explored Victoria’s geological diversity while foregrounding the needs of non-human species in urban design.
The Sunshine project will build on these learnings with new research into local avian life and site-responsive design, council said.
Collaborating on the development of the artwork in Sunshine are prominent artists Callum Morton, Jen Berean and Linda Tegg.
The new public artwork is scheduled for installation in mid-2026 and is supported through Brimbank City Council’s Public Art Program.
