Time Rings

Time Rings encircle eight fig trees along the central path of Bicentennial Park Stage II in Annandale, Sydney.

The rings ‘describe’ the fig trees’ slow growth through the increasing diameter of each consecutive ring. They comprise a varying number of stone units that are inscribed with apparently random dates in the future. The dates are a selection children’s birthdays from the local primary school. The smallest ring has dates between 1997 and 1999, the next ring has dates between 2000 and 2009, and each larger ring has dates from the ensuing decade.

Time Rings is a sculptural performance in slow motion. As the figs’ buttressing roots grow, they slowly displace the units of the Time Rings to eventually create a ‘sculptural ruin’.