As Wayfinder Winery & Farm continues to come together, so too do the details that will give the space its character.
Among the details of the structure, is a growing collection of art, selected to create moments of discovery through the property and deepen the connection between the built environment, the working farm and the landscape around it.
Marking the approach
One of the first works visitors will encounter is Seedlings, a monumental outdoor sculpture by Australian artists Timothea Jewell and Chris Vassallo of Lump Sculpture Studio. Positioned near the visitor car park and visible from the entry road, two sculptural forms rise 3.5 and 5 metres from the earth, marking the approach to Wayfinder Winery & Farm.
A mirror among the Marri
Further into the property, The Marris Mirror by Western Australian artists Alice Ford and Ollie Anderson takes the landscape itself as its subject. The site-specific installation uses reflective steel surfaces to create a network of sightlines between the path connecting the winery and garden pavilion and the grove of Marri trees beyond.
A series of carefully angled columns and mirrors catches fragments of trees, sky and people moving through the landscape. As visitors pass, their own reflections appear alongside the Marri canopy, momentarily bringing the human and natural elements of the site into the same frame. The work is designed to slow the journey between buildings encouraging visitors to pause and notice the landscape around them from a different perspective. The Marris Mirror is set to be installed later in the year.
Softness against structure
Suspended within the lower ground floor stairwell is Architecture of Trace III by Melbourne-based artist Emma Davies, created from reclaimed bird net, baler twine, bone and acrylic paint.
Davies transforms these familiar and often utilitarian agricultural materials into intricate, almost weightless textile forms. Each small point carries the impression of the artist's fingerprint, built up through a methodical and repetitive process that creates something delicate from materials more commonly associated with working on the land.
Against the scale and clean lines of the winery, the installation brings softness and movement. There is a natural tension between structure and fluidity, industry and craft, the practical and the expressive.
It is a fitting contrast for a working winery.
Considered as a whole
The installation is part of a broader approach to Wayfinder Winery & Farm. From the winery and vineyard to the market garden, cellar door and restaurant, each element has been considered not in isolation but as whole. The intention is to create a place that feels grounded in the landscape and reflective of the people materials and ideas behind it.
For visitors to the site, the experience will reveal itself gradually. There is the practical work of growing grapes, making wine, tending the market garden and preparing food. But in-between, are quieter moments that invite guests to stop and look a little closer.
Plan your visit
Visitors can now experience the artworks as part of the wider Wayfinder story. Wayfinder Winery & Farm is open to the public, with cellar door tastings on offer and the full food offering launched on 16 September.
Earlier this month, the Malolactic Room hosted the Open Studios Art Party — one of the first gatherings to bring the space, the art and the community together.
