Volunteers in Sydney have begun the painstaking process of preserving three tonnes of flowers left at Bondi Pavilion following Australia's worst terror attack in December. The dried flowers and pressed petals will be transformed into a permanent artwork honouring the 15 victims at the Sydney Jewish Museum.
Artist Nina Sanadze and a team of up to 50 volunteers daily are working in a 400 sq metre warehouse, where temperatures initially exceeded 30°C and the scent of decaying flowers was so overpowering that masks were required. Fans, dehumidifiers, and construction fences have been used to dry and press the blooms.
Each species—from zigzag wattles to Singapore orchids—is meticulously catalogued, colour-coded, and boxed. Sanadze plans to repurpose every part of the flowers: petals are ironed or pressed, sunflower pollen processed into pigment, and fallen leaves carefully saved. The final commemorative artwork is yet to be designed, but the museum is set to reopen in early 2027.
Senior curator Shannon Biederman noted the exhausting but rewarding effort, saying, 'I get a lot of messages that people are just so grateful that all of these tributes are not going to be forgotten.' Volunteers, some driving hours to help, are motivated by a desire to preserve the memorial. Leftover seeds may eventually be replanted, offering 'hope for the future,' Sanadze said.
