Created and Sold by Ben Dearnley
Custodians Of The Landscape - Public Sculptures
Featured In Two Rivers Wines, Denman, Australia
$ On Inquiry
Handmade
Sustainable
Made To Order
Natural Materials
Locally Sourced
This sensational rock collection at Two Rivers Wines, was carved in 2015 by international sculptor Ben Dearnley and unveiled by iconic film star Sigrid Thornton. More than 28 tonnes of stone sourced from the vineyard were used to create this project. The stone is Triassic Narrabeen Sandstone, laid down 200 million years ago under ancient rivers and wetlands. About 15 million years ago, erupting volcanoes covered the area in basalt, which has eroded away over time, uncovering this ancient landscape. Iron in the basalt leached through the sandstone to leave the hard, red bands of ironstone that can be seen today in some cliffs, particularly along the Goulburn River. Natural springs and rivers are gradually eroding the sandstone, creating the fantastical formations and gorges to be seen in the hills behind Two Rivers and further west into the Upper Hunter Valley and south into Wollemi National Park. The region’s Narabeen Sandstone is renowned for its abundance of carved and painted Aboriginal rock art. Ben Dearnley’s work at Two Rivers directly references this ancient work and the landscape itself, with its dramatic moods and seasons – a continuous flow of change also reflected in the work at Two Rivers, where growing the vines is a labour of love in tune with nature itself.
The vortex of spirals leads our eye into the aperture, itself shaped like an eye. Through this space we see the distant hill named after William Ogilvie, the founder of Denman in 1853. The significance is one of looking – specifically, looking onto and across the vineyards and the landscape beyond. We can see how this special part of the valley has been looked after by the family of vintners here and further afield to the farms beyond.
This 4.8-tonne stone also features a map reference of the two rivers, the Hunter and the Goulburn, along with a depiction of a Blue Tongue who is carved into the east face.
The stone is placed to capture the rising sun on the important days in the vineyard’s calendar. It is a direct link to those ancient megalithic structures erected thousands of years ago in Northern Europe, such as Stonehenge, and acts as a calendar itself. By standing on the appropriate stone in the car park you can see through the aperture in the Mother Stone to the significant event of that time of year – for example, the Summer Solstice or the opening of the first bud on the vines.
The vortex of spirals leads our eye into the aperture, itself shaped like an eye. Through this space we see the distant hill named after William Ogilvie, the founder of Denman in 1853. The significance is one of looking – specifically, looking onto and across the vineyards and the landscape beyond. We can see how this special part of the valley has been looked after by the family of vintners here and further afield to the farms beyond.
This 4.8-tonne stone also features a map reference of the two rivers, the Hunter and the Goulburn, along with a depiction of a Blue Tongue who is carved into the east face.
The stone is placed to capture the rising sun on the important days in the vineyard’s calendar. It is a direct link to those ancient megalithic structures erected thousands of years ago in Northern Europe, such as Stonehenge, and acts as a calendar itself. By standing on the appropriate stone in the car park you can see through the aperture in the Mother Stone to the significant event of that time of year – for example, the Summer Solstice or the opening of the first bud on the vines.
Item Custodians Of The Landscape
Created by Ben Dearnley
As seen in Two Rivers Wines, Denman, Australia
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