Just over 25 years ago Burns installed ‘Kicked off’, a guerrilla art installation of 200 pineapples planted along the halfway line of Spooner Oval in Forbes.  The provocation coincided with the 200th anniversary of the proclaimed martial law by the colonisers against the Wiradjuri nation and called into question our continuation of colluding with capitalist exploitations, locally and globally. The work challenged the community to consider the unthinkable – the loss of culture, and cultural icons and the re-evaluation of priorities in the face of environmental and social upheaval. 

“By questioning the sustainability of cherished institutions, we can inspire critical reflection on our collective relationship with the environment and our regional identity.”

After the national cessation of all contact sports and regional football clubs folding, Burns, an interdisciplinary artist, seized the opportunity to lead the development of the Spooner Oval: New Harvest precinct.  The vibrant architecturally reimagined grounds now sport an interdisciplinary centre surrounded by a semiotic landscape where culture, ecology, and the arts are priorities. 

Burns co-designed all current site projects in authentic partnership with the Wiradjuri community such as the new award-winning Myee Maze. A dendroglyph-inspired pattern, of a walkable, immersive maze-like plantings of native winter weeds and nectar-producing shrubs covers most of the old football field, except for the dance circle.  These plants support the Bogong Moth lifecycle, specifically cutworms, the larvae of Bogong Moths (Agrotis infusa).

The community ceremoniously celebrated in October as they witnessed the season’s mass emergence of Bogong Moths from the earth and their subsequent migration to the state’s southern regions.  A new annual grand final where everyone triumphs.