Heard at Sea | Town Beach, Port Macquarie 2023

A permanent and welcoming place for family members and friends to go to reflect, grief and connect.

Inspired by a local shell found at Towns Beach by a community member. ‘Heard at Sea’ is a collaboration between Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, the local community and Cave Urban.

To people walking by, parts of the sculpture appear to morph in form from transparent to solid as the fins open and close with the change of angles.

The fins curving over the aperture above the seat are engraved with the elegies of great authors and thinkers - as balms to console the grieving and deepen the contemplative experience

By day, the sunlight upon the sculpture will throw constantly moving patterns of light and shadow on the ground. The light within the sculpture will glow during the night to remember the lives lost at sea.

Our sincere thanks go out to the families and friends who provided input into the project throughout its progression, Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, Everleigh Works, Partridge Engineers, Eamonn Madden and Charlie Wiseman.

Client: Port Macquarie-Hastings Council
Materials: Marine-grade stainless steel, hardwood
Dimensions 6m (tall) x 2m (wide), 2.5m (tall)
Location: Town Beach Port Macquarie
Lead Artist: Juan Pablo Pinto, Lachlan Brown
Team: Eveleigh Works
Engineer: Partridge Engineers