Sarah Winter

Sarah Winter is a designer, installation artist, and maker who has created, site designs, and sets for local, national, and international audiences. Her practice focuses on memory and the audience experience in immersive installations and the creation of participatory environments.

Winter collaborated with a First Nations landscape architect to identify two local species of lily pads that are native to the area. One of them is called Nymphaea gigantea, which is nearly extinct locally due to the presence of Nymphaea caerulea ssp zanzibarensis, a different species that has displaced it. Although they may appear similar at first glance, they are actually quite different when you look closely.

Nymphaea gigantea holds cultural significance as a "useful" plant. Its flowers and stalks are edible, both raw and cooked. The seeds are better when cooked and can be ground into flour. The tubers, about the size of golf balls, are collected and roasted. There are stories of people using the leaves as hats while gathering food in the wetlands. Additionally, they were used in a water fowl hunting technique where hunters would discreetly approach floating birds underwater, hidden beneath a detached leaf, and then pull the bird underwater by its feet. The second native species is Nymphoides indica, which is relatively common and smaller in size, with smaller leaves and flowers. Its young shoots and leaves are also edible when cooked.

Drawing inspiration from these plants, Winter and our pattern makers designed unique textures for each lily in the pond. These captivating sculptures adorn the front of Greenhouse West Village, a contemporary commercial office building where modern design seamlessly merges with lush landscaping.

In collaboration with Sarah Winter and her studio, Studio Winter, our team in Australia assisted in fabrication, and crafting of 30 bronze lily pads of various sizes. As a resource for the artist, we provided design assistance, project management, and conducted sample testing. We are thrilled to have contributed to realizing these remarkable sculptures for both the artist and clients, Sekisui House.