This is the premise of Eden Unearthed, art in the gardens, and two Highlanders have been chosen to exhibit their works.

Designer and sculptor Penny Simons from Kangaloon and writer Kirli Saunders, formerly from Mittagong, will both display a piece each in the gardens.

Penny’s weaved work Willow Woman will be on show, which was created using materials from the Highlands and her garden. She said she had been working with willow for the past three years.

“My recent willow weaving is about the making of objects – some functional, some ornamental, that are sustainable and therefore made with materials ‘in the raw’ found in the local environment,” she said.

“It’s great to be part of Unearthed for the first time, and to be part of a collective global environmental art movement.”

Kirli Saunders’ collection A Posy of Poems will be read at the gardens’ amphitheatre. She said her poems were inspired by her childhood in the Highlands.

“The cherry blossoms on our street inspired Fleeting Beauty, and Bower Boy was born out of our experience with the bowerbird that frequented our place as kids,” she said.

“I’m incredibly grateful to have my work feature in Eden Unearthed, as Eden Gardens are such a beautiful space.

“I love to garden and feel very connected to the earth, a lot of my work is about nature and plants so Eden Unearthed is really a perfect fit and I’m excited to be involved.”

The Eden Unearthed festival will open October 12 with free entry to the Eden Gardens flagship centre in Macquarie Park Sydney.

To learn more, visit http://edengardens.com.au/page/eden-unearthed. 

Penny’s work will also be exhibited during the Southern Highlands Art Trail at the start of November, and at the Emerge Art Show at Oxley College on November 12.

Kirli’s first children’s picture book The Incredible Freedom Machines, illustrated by Matt Ottley, will be released next year, and her poetry has been commissioned for the New Shoots project with the Bundanon Trust, Dahl Trust and the Red Room Company early next year.