Northern Beaches Environmental Art and Design Prize 2026 (Finalist)

The Golden Fissure: Memories of a Sandstone Coast explores the relationship between the human body and the deep geological time embedded within Sydney’s coastal sandstone. Local sandstone is hand-ground and mixed with silica, embedding the plaster form within the material memory of place. Shaped through slow accumulation, the work reflects erosion, environmental pressure, and ecological change. A compressed stone fragment forms the internal support, while raw sandstone sustains the reverse of the sculpture. Gold traces follow existing fissures without concealment or repair, alongside a mother-of-pearl accent, honouring fracture, persistence, and the fragile resilience of coastal ecosystems.