Sylvia Azzi could not have known in the moment that she saw the installation on the lawn at fort Scratchley. Perhaps it was something in the vibrant colour, the way it seemed to hint at an inspiration to style of the Austrian symbolist Gustav Klimt.
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Perhaps it was that the sculpture contained three pieces - one for each of her daughters and one for her and her husband Tony. Perhaps it was something more primal - that indescribable place that only art seems to be able to reach.
When she saw the artist's work - a trio of bright and abstracted spires titled Goddess Garden - Mrs Azzi bought it on the spot.
"I went to the first Sculptures at Scratchley last year," the former heritage architect said, "And I was looking forward to this year because I missed most of the first one; I was determined to get there early this time.
"I just loved the colours and the symbols, and just the familiarity of knowing a little bit about Klimt ... I love the colour and being able to share it with my family.
Related reading: The mystery of the giant mythic hero at Fort Scratchley
Later, when Mrs Azzi was chatting with the artist Lisa Lisa Holzl, the threads started to emerge. Both she and the artist grew up in the same neighbourhood in Sydney. Mrs Azzi's father was a baker, and Holzl works out of the former Marrickville Bakery which has since been converted to a studio.
When Mrs Azzi's father died last year, he was buried at Rookwood Cemetery in Sydney, where Holzl had exhibited her sculptures around the same time.
"It kind of gave me goosebumps," Mrs Azzi said, "It was like he could see it over there as well. The exhibition there had to do with life and death and remembrance."
Mrs Azzi remembers her dad as a great protector, in the way that fathers tend to be, and has lived in Newcastle for the past 35 years. She feels lucky to have come across the sculpture that connects her, so serendipitously, to her memories.
She wishes that the exhibition at Fort Scratchley could continue, after its fortnight's run at the city's historic fort, comes to an end this weekend. Persistent rain has hampered the exhibition, which last year saw thousands milling about the installations in its inaugural year.
Many of the pieces installed at the fort are for sale, the proceeds of which in part go towards funding the next year's exhibition.
Simon McCarthy
Simon McCarthy is a journalist working at the Newcastle Herald in NSW. He writes news and features, and produces video and multimedia, for the Herald and Herald Weekender magazine. He contributes regularly to the Newcastle Herald’s daily Topics column, and is the co-creator and producer of the Toohey’s News podcast. McCarthy has worked as a journalist in regional NSW since 2013. He joined the newsroom of the Newcastle Herald in 2017 from the Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he worked from 2015 to 2016.
Simon McCarthy is a journalist working at the Newcastle Herald in NSW. He writes news and features, and produces video and multimedia, for the Herald and Herald Weekender magazine. He contributes regularly to the Newcastle Herald’s daily Topics column, and is the co-creator and producer of the Toohey’s News podcast. McCarthy has worked as a journalist in regional NSW since 2013. He joined the newsroom of the Newcastle Herald in 2017 from the Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he worked from 2015 to 2016.
