BGANZ member The University of Melbourne is celebrating the opening of The Measured Garden, a new exhibition at the Potter Museum of Art, running 10 July – 5 September 2026 (free entry, wheelchair accessible).
The exhibition brings plants and gardens into the frame, reflecting on messy ecosystems, entanglements with the living world, and layered systems of knowledge. It draws on research undertaken in the lab, studio and archive, expanding on conversations between artists and scientists through a year-long artist-in-residence program at the University’s Burnley campus, a centre for horticulture research and teaching since 1891.
During their residencies, artists Francis Carmody and Keg de Souza produced new works in direct conversation with Burnley’s scientific research, culminating in an exhibition that reveals the intersections between art, ecology and science. De Souza’s contribution features eight pressed-plant glass slides drawn from the 128 plant species currently being tested at Burnley, a subset of around 470 species earmarked for the Laak Boorndap garden design, each annotated with scientific and cultural notes uncovered through her residency.
That research sits behind the exhibition: the Melbourne Arts Precinct Plant Trials, a three-year science-meets-design project evaluating which plant species and combinations will thrive in Laak Boorndap, the 18,000 square-metre urban garden being delivered as part of the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation. The trials are led by University of Melbourne Associate Professor in Green Infrastructure Claire Farrell and Research Fellow Dr Dean Schrieke, applying the expertise of the University’s Green Infrastructure Group to give the project science-based outcomes. Over 1,000 plants are being trialled on a Burnley rooftop in shallow substrate with minimal irrigation, mimicking Laak Boorndap’s conditions, while drone imagery, 3D point clouds and environmental sensors track plant development and site conditions.
Associate Professor Farrell has described the value of embedding this kind of research directly into a major landscape project, noting it will help guide plant selection so the finished gardens are both resilient and beautiful. A public Test Garden has also opened at Fed Square, giving the community a place to meet researchers and learn what’s likely to survive Melbourne’s increasingly hot climate, whether in a backyard, on a rooftop, or on a balcony.
The exhibition is curated by Julia Murphy, Curator at the Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation, and is presented in the Potter’s Project Gallery – a space established to showcase interdisciplinary research, art-led student projects, and outcomes from creative residencies and academic fellowships.
📍 Potter Museum of Art Project Gallery, Lvl 1, Cnr of Swanston St and Masson Rd, Parkville
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