Peter McIlwain: Bird Child Spirit

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1. Arrive at Gate 1 of George Pentland Botanic Gardens, corner of Foote and Williams Streets (it has the beautiful Banksia sculpture on the gate)

Please note: While you are able to enter George Pentland Botanic Gardens from any entry point, we definitely suggest Gate 1 as a starting point. The path from Gate 1 to Bird Child Spirit is clearly signed, and a more straightforward journey than entry from other gates. 

2. Enter and follow the path

3. Veer left at the Playground fork, towards Fern Gully and Lake Walks

4. Go past the lake (say hello to the ducks!)

5. At the next fork, veer right towards Fern Gully Walk

6. When you reach the end of Fern Gully Walk, you will see a Bird Child Spirit sign across the pathway to your right indicating where the installation is.

Peter Mcilwain is a composer and visual artist who has received a several major awards and prizes including the 2023 Yering Sculpture award for Bird Child Spirit and the highly prestigious 2012 Eureka Prize for contributions to computer science in music. He is a former Lecturer in Music Composition and researcher into computer music and sound design. His work has focused on the use of computer software to generate musical soundscapes. For example, Bird Child Spirit is a sonic artwork that is generated by software that creates a constantly changing soundscape that sits between the ebb and flow of natural soundscapes and musical compositions.  

His work is also focused on raising awareness of the conservation value of soundspaces in natural places and to the fact that the world of sound outside ourselves is something that we have often forgotten about. His work is aimed at creating embodied experiences that connect people with sound and places with wider culture associations through his installations.  

In making Bird Child Spirit, Peter has worked with children to make a large bank of recordings that the installation uses to generate the soundscapes. Thanks go to the children, families and schools of the Dandenong Ranges and the Frankston area for supporting the project. 

25% Visual content
Wheel chair access
75% Aural content
Language no barrier

Photography by Cathy Reynolds