The Wizard of Oz

A former resident of Bruno's Art and Sculpture Garden

Australia isn’t a country that’s ever been on my must-visit list. I’m not fully sure why, I’ve plenty of friends and even some family down there and I know it’s supposedly spectacular in parts. I’ve just never felt ‘drawn’ to it the way I am to other far away lands.  I think it’s them pesky arachnids that put me off. No, I know it’s the bugs. And the sun. I’m not a sunny person.

All that said, the 24-hour flight, spiders and heatstroke would definitely be worth it just to visit the whimsical world of Bruno Torfs. It is a place of magic, beauty and hope; not just because of the awe-inspiring creations which live there, but also because of the equally inspirational story behind this fantasy garden, nestled deep in the rainforest. A story which is still being written.

I first became aware of Mr Torfs’ magical sculptures last year when they were in the news after being totally destroyed by the 2009 bush fires. Yup, that wonderful wizard above is no more, charred away to cinders by the vengeful wrath of nature, along with almost the entirety of Torfs’ life’s work. It just doesn’t seem right that this special and wondrous place could fall victim to such devastation. But I suppose it would be more than a little naive to hope She would make an exception for art while human beings were dying.  Still, I can only imagine how heartbreaking it must have been for all involved. Here are a few more examples of the beauty that was lost:

 

 

Like in all good fantasy tales, however, out of the ashes of doom and despair our hero brings light. For, you see, Torfs’ “passion to share his love of art and the story of life with the world has not been damaged by the fires, in fact you could almost say it has been forged anew by the flames that nearly took it all away”. (Read his own words here.)

Yes folks, last month, less than a year after it was scorched to the ground, Bruno’s Art and Sculpture Garden reopened. Risen like a phoenix from the flames, if that’s not too cliched a way to put it.  He now has more than 100 new sculptures to share with visitors and you can be sure there’ll be many more to come. Here are few of the recently created wonders:

Anyway, I hope you all found the story of Bruno’s forest haven to be as uplifting as I did. I think if we all had even a fraction of the determination, resilience and vision of this man the world wouldn’t as depressing a place as it can seem these days. Oh, and sorry about the cheesy post title - I just couldn’t resist!