Public Art Commissions & Community Projects

Community Art, also known as Social Practice has long been integral to Helen's work. So too have commissions, both for public and private clients. These two fields have sometimes intersected, with Community Art or Social Practice works being commissioned as community-building or place-making projects. Clients for such projects have ranged from schools to corporate organisations, local and state governments and private clients, either seeking bespoke artworks in recognition of special events, in response to a specific theme or simply for collection.

THE FIVE ELEMENTS, with Aunty Lee-Anne Clarke

The Five Elements is a public art installation at Sunvale Park in Sunshine, commissioned by Brimbank City Council. Consisting of five large firepit/tabletops, the mission of the project is to share ancient cultural knowledge with an ethnically diverse post-modern urban community, users of this inner suburban pocket park. ‘Stories have always been here. Sharing them is important. We are visual people, our visual senses are heightened. Attachment to Country is beyond physical appearance. It is...

Yellow Admiral Butterfly

Yellow Admiral Butterfly sundial mosaic feature Helen Bodycomb (commissioned by Romanis Trinham Collaborations) for Lake Pertobe, Warnmabool glass smalti and steel 2022

MUSSEL – FRACTALS IN TIME

In 2022 Helen Bodycomb was commissioned to make two large glass mosaic mussel works, together with Romanis Trinham Collaborations (Glenn Romanis and Mark Trinham), for the new Spirit of Tasmania Ferry Terminal in Geelong.

Private Mosaic Commissions

Mosaics for Kids

World Within, World Without

‘World within, World without’ is the title of the Victorian State Memorial to The Forgotten Australians. Commissioned from Helen Bodycomb by the Victorian State Government in 2010, the work is now part of the City of Melbourne’s Public Art Collection.The work commemorates the moment of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s National Apology to The Forgotten Australians on 16 November 2009 . This highly significant event not only elevated the profile of the Forgotten Australians and the...

Futurescape

FUTURESCAPE was the result of a mosaic/sculpture project commissioned in 2012 by The City of Melbourne for ArtPlay, the city’s children’s creative arts centre at Birrarung Marr in central Melbourne. Helen Bodycomb was engaged to develop and deliver the project. This was the second commission by Helen for ArtPLay, the first being the ‘Once upon a slime’ entry feature, 2009. Behind the ArtPlay building was a rarely used patch of gravel. From 2009 to 2013...

Camberwell Market

The Unswept Floor is a genre of mosaic also known as Asarotos œcos or Asaratos Oikos. The second century BCE Greek mosaicist Sosus of Pergamon is attributed as having been the author of this genre that became popular across the Roman Empire. Depicting food scraps as though strewn across a floor, this more modern interpretation of The Unswept Floor was commissioned by The City of Boroondara in Melbourne, in 2004 for installation at Camberwell Fresh...

Westgarth Kinder

La Buena Vida

Memorial for Juan

Tables – Bromeliad and Green Leaves

Port Stories

Bondi

In 1989-99 Helen worked in partnership with Turkish artist Enver Camdal. As Camdal & Bodycomb, they made a large number of public artworks over a three year period, the largest project of them a major project for iconic Bondi beach in Sydney. 29 individual pieces of mosaic street furniture were commissioned by the City of Waverley. They were meticulously fabricated in Northcote, Melbourne using the indirect method – for installation on bench seats and table...

ArtPlay

Shyness of Trees

Camdal & Bodycomb