Maria Fernanda Cardoso describes While I Live I Will Grow as a 100+ year performance of Queensland bottle trees. A large spiral sandstone sculpture with bottle trees which will mature into magnificent bottle-shaped giants. The trees will grow together alongside the new and existing community of Green Square.

Watch behind the scenes as this artwork is brought to life:

Back to nature

This project combines the artist’s 4 other selves: the sculptor, the naturalist, the architect, and the gardener.

“Both of my parents were architects. I also studied architecture for two years before moving into art,” says Cardoso. “I integrate this spatial training with my background as a sculptor, with my naturalist training, and last but not least, with my gardening experience.” Cardoso continues:

“While I Live I Will Grow is a chance for me to work ‘in the world’ rather than a gallery space. The city is now the playground. My task is to provide the bottle trees with a stage so people notice them. We often neglect the natural world. I want to bring the natural world back into the studio, into the museum, and now back to the city.”

Flourishing forms

While I Live I Will Grow imagines the idea of growth in multiple ways.

“We humans tend to think that aging is bad – we tend to believe that we lose our beauty, our vigour, our health. But trees don’t think like that. The older they are, the more magnificent they become. They are a great inspiration to me.”

Residents of Green Square will share their lives with one of the most unique Australian natural wonders. The bottle trees will double their girth every year, their spectacular growth and transformation on full display.

The sandstone element of the artwork also reflects the idea of growth, using a form that expresses this in nature – the spiral. Fossils, snail shells and flowers all feature spirals in their make up.

“Rotational movement is one way life builds itself. Stacking a spiral on top of another creates movement and a strong visual cue,” says Cardoso.

Growing together

Unlike a traditional gallery exhibition, this artwork will not be seen for a few months, but for decades. For Cardoso, this extended lifespan brings tremendous satisfaction.

She is also aware of the response people are likely to have.

“I’ve been told people love bottle trees and like to hug them,” she says. “Bottle trees have an anthropomorphic character, with their smaller ‘head’ and larger ‘body’. The idea is that they become surrogates for humans, symbolising the growth of the surrounding community.”

“I hope people will love this artwork, I hope it becomes a very special place.”