Flame Bird
Flame Bird was conceived as a tribute to the power of fire and nature. As we should all be aware of, even the smallest spark, if conditions are hot, and windy, can develop into a fearsome wildfire, devouring large tracts of land and buildings in its path, leaving a wasteland of ash and smoking charcoal.
This was Stephen’s third large sculpture, it is a classic needle Sculpture, meant to stand vertically at 6 m, although he built it horizontally.
It is a three sided elongated pyramid symbolising a flame coming out of the ground, with the tip resembling a bird in flight, or the Phoenix rising from the ashes.
It was made in 2007 and exhibited at Sculpture in the Vineyards that year. Flame bird was then moved to Stephen’s property in Wollombi where it weathered the 2019 fires that surrounded Wollombi. Luckily the land was not affected and Flame was moved to Moon Mountain Sanctuary in December 2021
Flow
Stephen Coburn’s sculpture Flow started life as a squiggle in his drawing book. When he noticed that it had a flow like a wave. When he produced larger versions, he also noticed it appeared to be a reclining, pregnant woman, suggesting the name Flow linking a pregnant woman to the power of the ocean.
It is his largest Sculpture at 8.2 m in length and 2 m high. The sides were cut from 5 mm, 316 stainless steel and held in position with stainless steel round bars welded to the inside.
The top surface was cold, bent into position with 2 mm, 316, stainless steel and seem welded to the sides; then the welds were ground down, using an angle grinder and then the sculpture was polished to a mirror finish using Suhner belts.
It was exhibited at Sculpture in the Vineyards in 2020 and was Stephen’s second attempt at building the sculpture. The first attempt was exhibited at Sculpture by the Sea in 2009 but this version is larger and heavier and built with more precision than the first as Stephen didn’t how to improve the Sculpture on the first version.
The maquette for this version of flow won the Lindemann‘s sculpture prize in 2010. Stephen is very proud and pleased that this Sculpture is now part of the collection at Moon Mountain Sanctuary.
Sea Mare
In 2016, I did a job for Sydney Institute of marine science or Sims. My assistant, Robert Dujin and I built 20 hexagon small fish habitats out of stainless steel round bar that were given cement bases and placed in Sydney Harbour at the at the bottom of the Sydney Opera House
I was so pleased to hear this. I began drawing seahorses and making market. The seahorse represented a litmus test to the health and harmony of the ocean . Dysaemia is the largest one I have made. It is cut from 5 mm Corton steel with strengthening ribs welded to the sides and stands at 2.4 m high.
