Public art

The cave-like forms of Shelter of Hollows reference the cavernous tunnel infrastructure of underground train travel. Organic, bejeweled and mysterious, the sculpture - commissioned specially for 1 Elizabeth - refers both to shapes found in the natural world and the resources extracted from the ground that we rely upon to build and activate cities.

According to the artist, “Its earthen materials — ceramics, metal and glass — are the stuff of trains and stations, the substance of wheels, machines, windows and long tiled walls. In Shelter of Hollows, they form an object suspended literally across time passing, one that silently occupies the space above the comings and goings”.

The work relates visually and conceptually to other sculptural installations in 1 Elizabeth Street and the immediate vicinity. Dwyer’s other work here, a highly reflective Mobius strip, is suspended at the northern entrance. One of the inspirations for Dwyer’s two works were the organic forms of Margel Hinder’s Abstract Sculpture (1961), located in the forecourt of the nearby Reserve Bank of Australia.

Other important points of reference for Dwyer were the 1960s sculptural installations by Tom Bass and Douglas Annand, which have also been incorporated into 1 Elizabeth. In addition to sharing an interest in the intersection between natural and built forms, Dwyer has incorporated materials used by Bass and Annand – specifically metals and clay. In its relationship with these earlier artworks in the area, Shelter of Hollows opens a cross-generational dialogue around sculptural form, organic abstraction, symbolism and materiality.