Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers’ ‘Genestream’ sculpture to headline at Singapore’s world famous Gardens by the Bay
The stunning Genestream sculpture, created as the entry statement to the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers world first display at the internationally famous Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, is about to leave the country for its new home 6,000km away, but not before it is farewelled by representatives of the enormous team involved in its creation.
The Genestream, designed and created by Ben Beeston locally features ‘petals’ of First Nations art on the outside, and Marli Moir botanical and scientific illustrations and drawings on the inside.
Some 12 months in creation, the Genestream will welcome visitors to the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers and Toowoomba Region display in the Flowers Dome at Gardens by the Bay. Up to 700,000 visitors are expected to view the display from 23 September to 17 November, with the invitation to attend a coup for the event and the region.
Making this all possible is Mort & Co Fertilisers, with their sponsorship of Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers going towards the fabrication and artwork printing. Mort & Co Fertilisers Garden Range is a new organic product for green thumbs hitting the gardening scene by digging deep to support Toowoomba Region’s biggest event.
Other local businesses integral to this international project’s success is DDC Engineering and Signarama Toowoomba.
Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers has enjoyed a wonderful friendship with Gardens by the Bay since 2017, welcoming delegates from Singapore each year to enjoy the Garden’s City most famous event, and facilitating a Horticulturist Staff Exchange with the Toowoomba Regional Council Parks team for six months in 2018. In 2022, Gardens by the Bay invited Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers the opportunity to display in the famous Flower Dome in 2024, to celebrate the 75th anniversary.
MEDIA ARE INVITED TO FAREWELL THE GENESTREAM TOMORROW, Thursday September 5, at 3pm at DDC Engineering, Unit 1A, 7-9 Gardner Court, Wilsonton
ATTENDING TOMORROW:
- Darrell Campbell, Director of DDC Engineering
- NAME – involvement (Mort & Co)
- NAME – involvement (Ben Beeston & Mali Moir – Artist)
Genestreaming Journey Sculpture: Bunya Mountains to the Boyce Gardens Toowoomba – Credits
Concept for the Genestreaming Journey Sculptures
- Noongar Elder Aunty Carol Pettersen & Artist Ben Beeton
Sculpture Design of the Genestreaming Journey Sculptures
- Ben Beeton – Art of Nature School
Engineering Designer the Genestreaming Journey Sculptures
- Mark Hewson – Torbay Glass Studios
Project Managers
- Ben Beeton & Mali Moir – Art of Nature School
Phylogenetic Tree Research & Arrangement
- Gary Muir – Wow Wilderness EcoProjects
Fabrication & Engineering Enhancements
- Darrell Campbell – DDC Engineering
Feild Naturalist Artwork Contributors
- Ben Beeton – SciArtist, Scientific Research, Phylogenetic Tree Base Plate design
- Mali Moir – Scientific Illustration, Scientific Research
- Dr Gillian Scott – Scientific Illustration, Scientific Research
- Steve Parish – Wildlife Photography
- Margarita Menares – Illustration
- Sharon O’Phee – Eco Dying
- Natasha Wills – Leaf foliage arrangement & canopy photography
- Frank Lee Frivolous – Leaf foliage arrangement & canopy photography
- Ben Price – Scientific consultant
- Peter McQueen – Scientific consultant
Aboriginal Artists
- Adrian Bauwens
- Jacinda Ibrahim
- Niketa Law
- Stephanie Lingwoodock
- Tolita Dolzan
Sculpture Sponsors
- Mort & Co Fertilisers – fabrication & digital printing
- Toowoomba Regional Council – Sculpture freight & artist travel expenses
- Art of Nature School – Extra scientific illustrations, extra panel artworks & phylogenetic tree design
- Vulcan – Materials supplied for fabrication
Project Ambassadors
- Aunty Carol Pettersen – Noongar Elder/former national NAIDOC female elder of the year
- Dr Noel Nannup – Noongar Elder/former national NAIDOC male elder of the year
- Professor Stephen Hopper – Professor of Biodiversity, Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management, UWA Albany (CENRM) and School of Biological Sciences
- Dr Alan Briggs – President of GeoParks WA
- Dr Peter Ellyard – Futurist/ former Executive Director of the Australian Commission for the Future
- Shannon Bauwens – Bunya Peoples Aboriginal Corporation Cultural Services Coordinator
Project Facilitators
- Keith Bradby – Gondwana Link Pty Ltd CEO
- Paul Dawson – Bunya Peoples Aboriginal Corporation General Manager
- Peter Homan – Southern Queensland Country Tourism CEO
ABOUT THE 2024 TOOWOOMBA CARNIVAL OF FLOWERS
Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers 2024
13 September to 7 October: tcof.com.au
The famous Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers features over 80 amazing events from 13 September to 7 October, with the theme, It’s A Party because this is the 75th anniversary of the event!
A MUST VISIT is Queens Park Botanic Gardens and Laurel Bank– there’s amazing flower displays and jaw-dropping blooms. In fact, there’s over 37.2 million petals across all of Toowoomba’s parks in the city and Spring Bluff! Toowoomba Regional Council gardeners plant over 190,000 flowers every year for this event.
Since its inception in 1949, the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers has flourished and is now an iconic Queensland event. The brainchild of Essex Tait and the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce, Carnival was introduced as a way for the city to use its “Garden City” reputation to promote increased economic activity following the hardships of war. On 21 October 1950, the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers commenced with a street procession that stretched three miles in length. Led by a bullock team and watched by a crowd estimated to be 50,000 strong, it was a resounding success, as it has been ever since.