Compass 2023 is a simple steel line-drawing sculptural based on the navigation pillars of North, South, East and West. Placed with these orientations in mind, the smallest semi-circle points due North. The structures have also been developed to echo freeway off-ramps and turning circles. Placed to produce a parallactic effect, the arcs create a visual conundrum at certain vantage points, and the viewer doesn't know which way the arcs face.

With a primary interest in perception and site, Natasha Johns-Messenger creates body-scaled architectural interventions, optical works, and site-determined film and photography. Her installations and public art projects develop from an intuitive approach to specific spaces through improvisational architecture. Utilising spatial and material conundrums, she highlights the framing and experience of space by working to disrupt or dissolve the distinction between a work and its context.

Images: Natasha Johns-Messenger, Compass 2023, powder-coated steel, 1400 x 400 x 400 cm, Southern Way McClelland Commission, Peninsula Link Freeway, Melbourne. Photos the artist and Steve Brown.