From the bower

With Australia being home to at least seven different types of bowerbirds, the concept of a bower provides a potent symbolic focus for our exhibition 'From the Bower: Patterns of Collecting'. A bower may be described as an enclosed space, a sanctuary in the natural world where objects are gathered. It has a connection to the garden - to plants, birds and insects - and, in medieval times, the bower referred to a woman's private space.