Francis Carmody + Keg de Souza: The Measured Garden

The Measured Garden

Drawing on research undertaken in the lab, studio and archive, the exhibition expands on conversations between artists and scientists through an artist-in-residence program at the University of Melbourne's Burnley Campus, a centre for horticulture research and teaching since 1891.

Combining artefacts from the Burnley archives with new research for the Melbourne Arts Precinct Plant Trials, the exhibition showcases the experimental practices of scientists at Burnley alongside artistic interventions into plants, gardens and ecosystems.

During year-long residencies, artists Francis Carmody and Keg de Souza produced new artworks in conversation with this research that expands on the intersections between art, ecology and science.

Francis Carmody
Francis Carmody's Compressions, previously shown in the Test Garden at Fed Square, interprets data gleaned from the Plant Trials compressed into experimental material form. Once embedded among the roots and foliage of the plants, the sculptures reappear here, carrying material traces of the garden.

Keg de Souza
Keg de Souza's Garden of Strategies, draws on pedagogical objects within the Burnley archive, including glass lantern slides and plant specimens, displaying an interpretation of the archive that conveys the complex relationships and storytelling carried within plants.

When
10 July - 5 Sept 2026

Location
Potter Museum of Art Project Gallery, Lvl 1
Cnr of Swanston St and Masson Rd, Parkville

Admission
Free