A botanical tribute has sprung up in Adelaide's Hurtle Square / Tangkaira as a tribute to the late Anton Hart - the artist behind "The Forest of Dreams."

Anton Hart died unexpectedly, in early February 2023 from pancreatitis.

His best-known art work is ‘The Forest of Dreams’ the letters that have marked out the four quadrants of Hurtle Square / Tangkaira in your Adelaide Park Lands, since their installation in 2003.

On Monday 20 February, 2023, Anton’s family and friends gathered at ‘The Forest of Dreams’ to weave flowers, leaves, and other botanical elements, onto this enduring legacy.

Images above: Paloma Concierta (from https://www.facebook.com/constantlystopping/)

Anton’s partner Paloma Concierta has invited the public to contribute to this ongoing legacy, but “not with any plastic items. Please place only organic botanicals - the idea is to make living letters!”

In a tribute posted on Facebook, Paloma has written:

He was not a religious guy. He believed in all of us.

Me and the kids;

and all kids actually,

including every single human he ever taught;

in love;

in the power of beauty, design and nature;

in friendship; and in telling people

when they were wonderful.

Paloma’s instructions for joining the tribute:

You are invited to collaborate with Anton Hart one last time in this mindful community art project.

Please bring a flower from your own garden and put it under the string.

Then wind a bit more thread if you feel the need to secure your wishes better.

(Just wind thread around the letters DRE M- leaving the A for Anton.)

Let's surround Anton Hart with simple beauty and the perfume of freshly picked flowers

and send him off on his journey back to stardust

on a cloud of backyard-best-wishes

from the city that he loved

and called home for 69 years.

You are also welcome to wind more wool

around it if you like.

Don’t forget to pick something

from your OWN garden.

Paloma Concierta

“Experience Adelaide” describes this as:

“a work that explores the contemporary landscape. Note how it just as easily reads Dreams of the Forest. Words have a long history of use in describing public space.

“The four words remain as entry points from the road into the park, creating and maintaining a separation of space which the artist suggests is important in understanding the pre-settlement history of the location. The benches that accompany the work invite people to sit and contemplate their surroundings.

“The work also acts to unite the four quadrants of the Square.”