Fern Garden — an art installation
At the beginning of 1996 Mary Eagle, then the National Gallery's Senior Curator of Australian Art, approached Fiona Hall to consider a commission for a work to be placed in the Sculpture Garden.
The artist proposed instead that she would create a discrete garden on a site at the eastern side of the building, outside the parameters of the Sculpture Garden. This formerly out-of-sight and unused 'courtyard' space, approximately 20 metres square, bounded by the Gallery's 23-metre high bush-hammered concrete walls on three sides, and its planned temporary exhibitions wing on the fourth, was to become exposed to the public gaze and re-defined through the window wall of the foyer of the new galleries looking onto the space.
The commission was endorsed at the December 1996 meeting of the National Gallery Council and made possible by funding from the Painting and Sculpture budget of the Department of Australian Art along with a generous donation from the Friends of Tamsin and Deuchar Davy. Council members were able to actually observe the design intent through a detailed model that the artist produced to expedite planning for the commission.
During 1997 Hall refined the design and made drawings describing specific features within the garden. The logistical challenges were many. The design involved a planting of 58 mature Dicksonia Antarctica tree ferns 2.6 metres tall, with a system of paths, water channels, grates, fountains, seating and a fence and gate. Expert horticultural, engineering, hydraulic and lighting advice was sought to confirm the mechanical requirements and ensure the congruent relationship between the elements comprising the design.
Construction began in January 1998. After initial preparatory excavation and concreting, Fiona Hall and two assistants decorated the main 1.5-metre wide, 55-metre long pathway and fountains with white silica and quartz pebbles quarried from a streambed at nearby Collector in New South Wales. Pebbles of the required size were sorted from a stockpile and laid into a base of dry mortar which was watered to make the cement set. The ferns were planted to a strict grid, and work continued at a pace to be completed by the beginning of March to coincide with the opening of the new Exhibitions Wing. Botanical references and particularly humankind’s tenuous relationship with nature have been central to Fiona Hall’s expression and illustrated through works such as her Genesis series of 1984, Paradisus Terrestris 1989-90, Historia Non-natural/s 1991 and Paradisus Terrestris entitled 1997.
The garden, based on the spiral form of the fern frond, a symbol of healing and rejuvenation, is the artist’s first opportunity to realise a major permanent installation.
The Dicksonia Antarctica tree fern is found in Tasmania and along the east coast of Australia. Those planted in the garden, estimated to be at least two hundred years old, have stood witness to the arrival of the settlers in Australia and the gradual disappearance of the Aboriginal peoples and their culture. The scant number of extant Aboriginal languages recognising the word for the Dicksonia. Antarctica are represented on tombstone-like plaques embedded in the main path. The artist approached the local Ngunnawal people for approval to construct the garden.
There is a wrought steel gate at the entry to the Fern Garden. The main path is decorated in vortex patterns much like the movement of the eddying stream from which the pebbles originated. The path unfolds in the shape of a frond, and curves down a gentle ramp to the central fountain. There is space to walk around the fountain, which is set below the surrounding ground level, or to sit on the ledge while a circle of 101 thin jets of water is projected upward and falls in a parabolic pattern similar to the fronds of the Dicksonia Antarctica, Surrounding the edge of the fountain, there is a copper membrane. Auxiliary pathways formed in plain white concrete provide options for navigating the garden and lead to seats of austral verde granite with wrought steel spiral bases, or to the central recessed area. The water from three smaller fountains is channelled inwards towards the main fountain in a manner reminiscent of Islamic garden design.
The palette for the garden is refined and austere. The hard surfaces are rendered homogeneous with the surrounding architecture - white concrete and pebbles/white bush-hammered concrete walls. The fibrous dark brown trunks of the ferns and the tanbark mulch are almost indistinguishable, while the frond canopy imbues the garden with a verdant green cast. Viewed from above, from the galleries of Australian art or the foyer of the Exhibitions Wing, the Fern Garden is all curves and a resolute foil to the straight linear geometry of the surrounding architecture.
The Fern Garden was created in an open space 20 metres square, which would be 1 to visitors to the proposed galleries for 2. The Commission for the garden was 3 by the National Gallery Council and was funded by money from 4. The 5 for the garden, which was refined in 1997, 6 planting 58 mature fern trees that were several metres tall and it contained 7 including paths and water features. 8 were consulted to ensure the whole design would 9.
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Question Focus: Paraphrase - 'formerly out-of-sight' space that would 'become exposed to the public gaze' = 'visible to visitors'.
Why this is correct: The space used to be out of sight. The passage says it was to become exposed to the public gaze through the window wall of the new galleries. 'The public gaze' means people looking at it. So the space would be visible to visitors.
Passage Reference: This formerly out-of-sight and unused 'courtyard' space, approximately 20 metres square, bounded by the Gallery's 23-metre high bush-hammered concrete walls on three sides, and its planned temporary exhibitions wing on the fourth, was to become exposed to the public gaze and re-defined through the window wall of the foyer of the new galleries looking onto the space.
Tips: Find the part of the text about the 20-metre space and read the whole sentence. Then choose the word that fits 'to visitors'.
Why the other options are wrong:
- detectable: Students may pick this because it is also about seeing something. But 'detectable' means able to be noticed or found, often by a test or a careful check. The passage is not about finding the space. People would simply look at it through a window, so 'visible' fits better. This is a Paraphrase trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- out-of-sight = hidden, not seen
- gaze = a long look
- exposed = open to view
Question Focus: Synonym match - 'its planned temporary exhibitions wing' = 'the proposed galleries for temporary exhibitions'.
Passage Reference: This formerly out-of-sight and unused 'courtyard' space, approximately 20 metres square, bounded by the Gallery's 23-metre high bush-hammered concrete walls on three sides, and its planned temporary exhibitions wing on the fourth, was to become exposed to the public gaze and re-defined through the window wall of the foyer of the new galleries looking onto the space.
Why this is correct: The space has walls on three sides and its planned temporary exhibitions wing on the fourth. 'Planned' means the same as 'proposed', and a wing is part of a building with galleries. So the galleries are for temporary exhibitions.
Tips: Find the part of the text about the new part of the building. Then choose the box words that fit 'galleries for'.
Why the other options are wrong:
- painters: Students may pick this because the National Gallery shows art by painters. But the passage names the new wing by what it holds, not by who visits it. This is a Context shift trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- proposed = planned
- wing = one part of a large building
- temporary = for a short time only
Question Focus: Synonym match - 'endorsed' = 'approved'.
Passage Reference: The commission was endorsed at the December 1996 meeting of the National Gallery Council and made possible by funding from the Painting and Sculpture budget of the Department of Australian Art along with a generous donation from the Friends of Tamsin and Deuchar Davy.
Why this is correct: The passage says The commission was endorsed at the December 1996 meeting of the National Gallery Council. To endorse a plan means to say yes to it officially. So the commission was approved.
Tips: If you do not know a word in the text, read the rest of the sentence. What happens next can show if the word is positive or negative.
Why the other options are wrong:
- rejected: Students who do not know 'endorsed' may guess this. But the next words say the work was 'made possible by funding', so the plan went ahead. This is a Reverse meaning trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- endorse = officially agree to or support
- commission = an order to create a work of art
- council = a group of people who make decisions
Question Focus: Summary of a list - money came from a Gallery budget 'along with' a private donation, so from more than one place.
Passage Reference: The commission was endorsed at the December 1996 meeting of the National Gallery Council and made possible by funding from the Painting and Sculpture budget of the Department of Australian Art along with a generous donation from the Friends of Tamsin and Deuchar Davy.
Why this is correct: The passage names funding from the Painting and Sculpture budget of the Gallery. Then it adds a second source, along with a generous donation from private friends. Two places gave money. So it was funded by money from different sources.
Tips: Find the part of the text about money for the garden. Then test each possible box word against it, and choose the one that fits the meaning and the grammar.
Why the other options are wrong:
- government: Students may pick this because a national gallery budget sounds like government money. But the passage also names a private donation. One word for one source misses half the answer. This is a Partial truth trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- funding = money given for a project
- donation = money given as a gift
- budget = money set aside for a purpose
Question Focus: Exact word match - 'During 1997 Hall refined the design' = 'The design for the garden, which was refined in 1997'.
Passage Reference: During 1997 Hall refined the design and made drawings describing specific features within the garden.
Why this is correct: The passage says During 1997 Hall refined the design. The summary uses the same year and the same verb. The thing she refined was the design.
Tips: Use the date in the summary to find the right place in the text. Then choose a noun from the box that fits the meaning.
Why the other options are wrong:
- show: Students may pick this because an art gallery puts on shows. But the garden is a lasting work, not a show, and the text says she refined something else. This is a Context shift trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- refine = improve by making small changes
- feature = an important part of something
- drawing = a picture made with a pen or pencil
Question Focus: Synonym match - 'The design involved a planting of 58 ... tree ferns' = 'The design ... included planting 58 mature fern trees'.
Passage Reference: The design involved a planting of 58 mature Dicksonia Antarctica tree ferns 2.6 metres tall, with a system of paths, water channels, grates, fountains, seating and a fence and gate.
Why this is correct: The passage says The design involved a planting of 58 mature Dicksonia Antarctica tree ferns. 'Involved' here means 'had as one part'. So the design included planting the ferns.
Tips: If several verbs fit the grammar, think about the meaning. Read what the text says about the ferns, then choose the verb that matches.
Why the other options are wrong:
- avoided: Students may pick this because it is a verb that fits the grammar. But the ferns are the centre of the garden, so the design did the opposite of avoiding them. This is a Reverse meaning trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- involve = have as a part
- mature = fully grown
- logistical = about planning and moving things
Question Focus: Summary word - the passage lists paths, water channels, fountains, seating and a gate, then calls them 'the elements comprising the design'.
Passage Reference: The design involved a planting of 58 mature Dicksonia Antarctica tree ferns 2.6 metres tall, with a system of paths, water channels, grates, fountains, seating and a fence and gate. Expert horticultural, engineering, hydraulic and lighting advice was sought to confirm the mechanical requirements and ensure the congruent relationship between the elements comprising the design.
Why this is correct: The passage gives a long list: a system of paths, water channels, grates, fountains, seating and a fence and gate. The next sentence calls these the elements comprising the design. The summary says 'including paths and water features', so the gap names the whole group: various elements.
Tips: 'Including' after a gap means the gap is a group word. Check that the examples after 'including' belong to that group.
Why the other options are wrong:
- different sources: Students may pick this because it also means 'many kinds of things'. But 'sources' are places where money or materials come from, not parts of a garden. This is a Context shift trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- element = one part of a whole
- comprise = be made up of
- channel = a narrow path for water
Question Focus: Paraphrase - 'Expert horticultural, engineering, hydraulic and lighting advice was sought' = 'experts from different fields were consulted'.
Passage Reference: Expert horticultural, engineering, hydraulic and lighting advice was sought to confirm the mechanical requirements and ensure the congruent relationship between the elements comprising the design.
Why this is correct: The passage says Expert horticultural, engineering, hydraulic and lighting advice was sought. 'Advice was sought' means people were asked for help, so they were consulted. Plants, engineering, water and lighting are four different areas. So the answer is experts from different fields.
Tips: Find who gave help with the design in the text. Then choose the box words that describe those people.
Why the other options are wrong:
- various officials: Students may pick this because Gallery Council members looked at the model earlier. But they were not asked for expert advice on the design. This is a Wrong section trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- consult = ask someone for advice
- seek = try to get
- horticultural = about growing plants
Question Focus: Paraphrase - 'ensure the congruent relationship between the elements' = 'ensure the whole design would fit' together.
Passage Reference: Expert horticultural, engineering, hydraulic and lighting advice was sought to confirm the mechanical requirements and ensure the congruent relationship between the elements comprising the design.
Why this is correct: The advice was sought to ensure the congruent relationship between the elements comprising the design. 'Congruent' means the parts suit each other and work well together. So the experts helped make sure the whole design would fit.
Tips: Read the whole summary sentence. Then find the same idea in the text and choose the verb that fits its meaning.
Why the other options are wrong:
- operated: Students may pick this because the same sentence talks about hydraulic advice and mechanical requirements. But the end of the sentence is about the parts matching each other, not about machines running. This is a Partial truth trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- congruent = matching and suitable together
- ensure = make sure
- requirement = something that is needed
General Tips:
- Read the whole summary first and decide what kind of word each gap needs.
- There are more words in the box than gaps, so some words are not used.
- The summary follows the order of the text. Move forward through the text as you fill each gap.
- Some box words are very general. Check that the text really supports the general word you choose.
- Learn to spot formal words in the text. Summaries often replace them with simple words.
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