At first glance, the large logs on the grass in Lismore’s Quad look like a very convenient place to sit. But as you get closer, you see there’s a series of large logs balancing on top of other large logs.

Questions come up, like, is it a social distancing experiment to keep people safely distanced while they enjoy the sun and the grass? And if so, why such a strange configuration?

The Lismore App dug a little deeper and spoke to the Lismore Regional Gallery and found the artist responsible for the sculpted woody mystery.

Bring on sculptor and prop maker Edward (Ed) Horne. Ed calls the piece ‘Balancing Act’ and said it was originally intended to be a see-saw, until bureaucracy and work health and safety guidelines put an end to that idea.

“It would have needed two metres of three millimetre thick soft-fall around it to be a see saw,” Ed said. “So I had to reengineer it to be stronger on the ends so they don’t tip over or break or squash little fingers.”

Each balanced log set weighs about 1.2 tonnes, so there’s over five tonnes of timber there.

Built with a grant from Arts Northern Rivers and supported by Lismore Regional Gallery, the installation looks like it will be around until after Christmas and the school holidays.

“They get so much use and are much loved,” Ed said. “Kids run around and play on them and I’ve seen some doing handstands on the balancing logs, as well as lovers sitting, kissing there.

“I’m happy for them to stay as long as they are loved and used.”

Ed said ‘Balancing Act’ is connected to the Gallery’s exhibition ‘Mnemonic Vegetables’ –a collaboration between himself and Charlotte Haywood.

“The logs represent cardinal markers and each of the balancing logs are facing north, east, south and west,” he said.

“They tie in with the concepts Mnemonic Vegetables look at, which look at how vegetation has a language and the earth talks to us. It’s about direction and finding a way to understanding it.

Another installation by Ed Horne.

“I originally wanted the see-saw because I wanted to bring a playful element to art and way finding – using the different heights to show us different points of views and perspectives on how to see where to go.”

Ed said the logs were felled on his property at Wilson’s Creek and he built the sculpture in his workshop on the property – including chainsawing them, then welding and fabricating the joins.

Ed has been working as a prop designer, film maker and sculptor, and has recently begun building sculptural playgrounds, including a Lyrebird inspired playground at Main Arm Public School.

Another installation by Ed Horne.

“I also have plans for monkey bars and based on giant ants and larvae that will stand two metres high that can be climbed in over and around, and for a musical bridge inspired by a tree,” he said.

If you want to find out more about Ed and his art, visit his website or his new collaborative project site https://bujwakstudio.com/

Another installation by Ed Horne.