Botanical Fiction Projects

Castaways unite to transform everyday spaces into sprawling metropolises of luminescent plastics, woven through surrounding trees to create a prismatic landscape. These installations are built collaboratively by artists using spliced-together flora fashioned from single-use plastics, forming an otherworldly ecosystem that feels both industrial and organic.

Each element carries the memory of its previous life, repurposed and reimagined, prompting reflection on consumption, regeneration, and the ongoing creative potential of discarded materials. The delicate matrix of manipulated plastic, electricity, and light reinforces the flexibility, power, and preciousness of our own ecology.

What began as a luminous installation at Comet Project Space for Artweek Auckland 2020 has grown into a roving series of site-responsive events that transform underutilised parks and public spaces across Tāmaki Makaurau into vivid, dreamlike environments.

Lead Artists: Bobbie Gray, Jesse Watson, Lara Thomas.
Programmer: Ed Aretino.
Contributors: Ashleigh Tuck, Catherine Thomson, Chris Bae, Gitanjali Bhatt, Judith Lawson, Kiki Hall, Lyn-Marie, Molly Langelaan, Monique Lacey, Paige Nebbeling, Rosaleen Turley, Skye Lovatt.

Installations
Comet Project Space, Artweek Auckland 2020
Enchanted Garden, Alice Wylie Reserve 2021
Enchanted Garden, Māngere Bridge Village 2022
Auckland Botanic Garden 2022
Light Up Whakatāne 2022
Enchanted Garden, Māngere Bridge Village 2024

Kōtukutuku Kaleidoscope is an immersive light and sound installation featuring 48 larger-than-life fuchsia flowers, handcrafted from single-use plastic bottles. Each bloom contains LEDs programmed to echo the vibrant pollination cycle of Aotearoa’s native tree fuchsia.

Suspended in clusters of three from a central chandelier, the flowers respond to movement below. A thermal sensor detects the presence of viewers, triggering a mesmerising light sequence, positioning the viewer as an active pollinator in the scene.

Surrounding wash lights extend the visual experience across the canopy, while a layered soundscape of native pollinators, Tūī, Bellbird, and Silvereye envelops the space.

Kōtukutuku Kaleidoscope celebrates Aotearoa’s natural heritage while drawing attention to plastic waste and environmental degradation. It transforms discarded materials into something luminous and alive, a reminder of what we risk losing and what we can still protect.

This is installation was made in collaboration with Lara Thomas and Ed Aretino as part of Comet Collab.

Droplets is a series of collaborative artworks created with artist Lara Thomas under the name Comet Collab. Each piece is crafted from hundreds of hand-cut plastic bottles, exploring themes of waste, renewal, and our connection to the natural world.

You can experience Droplets in person at the Brick Bay Sculpture Trail, set amidst the scenic landscapes of Matakana, north of Auckland.

Works are available for purchase directly through Brick Bay, please visit their website for opening hours and visitor information.

Kōwhai Grove is a large-scale, light-based installation that reimagines a public space in downtown Tauranga. Inspired by the golden blooms of the native kōwhai tree, which attract birds like tūī, bellbird, and kākā, the artwork is designed to catch the eye and invite connection.

Crafted from thousands of locally collected plastic bottles, each flower was made by the artist in collaboration with the Bay of Plenty community through Envirohub BOP. The installation celebrates creativity, community, and environmental consciousness, drawing attention to both the beauty of nature and the scale of our plastic waste.

By transforming waste into something wondrous, Kōwhai Grove offers a moment of reflection and hope, a glimpse of what’s possible when we come together to imagine a more sustainable future.

Inspired by Wisteria, which is best defined as a breathtaking but aggressive vine that is likely to steal the beauty. An enchanted vine of fluorescent flowers will transform a central city lane as mesmerising cascades of luscious purple-violet flowers bring the natural world front and centre into the urban environment.

The process of making Wisteria Lane mimics the lifecycle of flowers and plants. Over 10,000 plastic bottles, that may otherwise be cast out into the environment, has contributed to the growth of a new generation of life forms. The delicate matrix of luminescence, manipulated plastic and electricity reinforce the flexibility, power, and preciousness of our own ecology.

EXHIBITIONS
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Changing Lanes - Artweek Auckland 2020
Heart of Auckland City - 2022
After Dark Urban Light Festival - Tauranga - 2022
Light Up Ponsonby - 2022
Light Up Whakatane - 2022
Highlight Carnival Wellington 2024