The Storyteller

Rachel Boymal's 2013 'The Storyteller' sits at the forecourt of Collins Place, 35-55 Collins Street, Melbourne and was commissioned by AMP.

Rachel is quoted as saying the bronze sculpture "...seeks to stimulate and engage with the people who work and socialise in the vicinity."

The Genie

'The Genie' is located at Queen Victoria Park, Melbourne. It was commissioned by Melbourne City Council who wanted a children's play sculpture for the park opposite the National Gallery of Victoria. Created in 1973 by Tom Bass, the sculpture was modelled and carved into plaster then cast in bronze.

Tom Bass created a sculpture that he hoped children would interact with. The mythical creature combines a human-like face with a lion's body and bird wings. With stylized curls of fur on its body and feather-like indented shapes on the wings, the rhythmic patterned decoration is a textural delight.

The winged figure is mounted on a slightly raised platform in a pocket of open park land adjacent to busy St Kilda Road. With a location that is distant enough so that the noise of passing traffic becomes obscured, it's like you are stepping into the Genie's domain in which he presides over. He is a grounded, solid creature who cheekily smiles at passers-by.

A concave face with gentle eyes and a friendly grin, the fantastical form is the perfect height for children to crawl underneath, climb, sit and stand on. Its wings curve upwards to create perfect support when you recline upon it's back in the sunshine. The sculpture casts intricate shadow patterns on the ground, and is a source of endless imaginative possibilities.

One important question remains to be answered. Has the genie just landed or is he about to fly away?

Poppykettle Playground

Located at the Cunningham Pier Playground at Geelong, these bronze sculptures were created by Jenda Bucek and are based on the book The Voyage of The Poppykettle written and illustrated by Robert Ingpen.

Perhaps Jenda Bucek's figures represent the first day the weary Hairy Peruvians landed on their "unchosen land" and are pondering their previous homeland, their journey in the Poppykettle, being grateful for the many friends who assisted them and daydreaming about the new adventures they will have.

Although small in scale they are expressive, full of detail and thoughtfully arranged on and around the rocks. They look like weathered sea-faring individuals who, together for four years, have travelled across the Pacific Ocean.

The Children's Tree

The Children's Tree is a whimsical sculptural story, located in the busy forecourt of the CML Building, corner of Elizabeth and Collins Street, Melbourne. This bronze sculpture was created in 1963 by Tom Bass.