A major new public artwork inspired by the natural movement of water has been unveiled in Sydney’s CBD by one of Australia’s most celebrated contemporary artists. Ripples and Droplets, a mural by Maria Fernanda Cardoso, spans the length of one wall of a 36-storey residential tower in the centre of Sydney. Standing 11 storeys high and covering 335 square metres, the mural is believed to be the largest public artwork by an Australian artist in the Sydney CBD.

The artist was commissioned by United Development Sydney for the newly completed Castle Residences development at 116 Bathurst Street. The project was designed by Candalepas Associates and realised by Hutchinson Builders.  Maria Fernanda Cardoso worked closely with the architect, Angelo Candalepas, since the inception of the project in 2014, and developed the work with public art curator Amanda Sharrad.

Maria Fernanda Cardosos’s design—concentric circles and spirals like ripples on a pond, also the silky thread of a spider web—reflects the broad direction of her creative career. The artist is fascinated by the natural geometry of the world, and this work has allowed her to magnify the sort of details that remain hidden from sight.

Image: Ripples and Droplets, by Maria Fernanda Cardoso, at Castlereagh Residencies, 116 Bathurst Street Sydney. Photo: Jillian Nalty