Iconic public artwork Oushi Zokei, Dream Lens for the Future (Dream Lens) by renowned Japanese artist Keizo Ushio, has been successfully relocated to its new home on the Lake Tuggeranong foreshore.
Previously located in the median of Northbourne Avenue, Dream Lens was carefully removed in February this year to make way for the construction of Light Rail Stage 2A. The four-tonne granite ring was lifted under expert supervision and transported to its new location between the Tuggeranong Library and the Community Centre on Cowlishaw Street.
The new location was selected in close consultation with the artist's Australian representative and artsACT. It reflects Keizo Ushio's original design intention: to frame the landscape through the sculpture's circular form and to invite people to interact with the work up close. The site offers sweeping views across Lake Tuggeranong and is easily accessible via a newly refurbished pedestrian walkway.
The new garden setting places the sculpture at ground level and includes native vegetation and a seating ledge. This thoughtful design allows visitors to sit, observe, and view the lake and parklands through the sculpture's circular lens, as the artist envisioned.
"Dream Lens is a powerful piece that invites people to pause, reflect, and connect with their surroundings," said Minister for Business, Arts and Creative Industries, Michael Pettersson.
"It is an important part of the ACT Government's public art program. Its relocation is part of a broader effort to spread Canberra's public art collection while accommodating the city's growing infrastructure needs."
In addition to Dream Lens, the ACT Government has also removed Decollete, a large-scale sculpture by local artist Michael Le Grand, from Reed Street in Greenway for conservation. It will be refurbished and reinstalled later this year in a more prominent lakefront location near the Tuggeranong Arts Centre.
Once Decollete is reinstalled, Tuggeranong will feature five public artworks within a 500-metre stretch of the lake foreshore, reinforcing the town centre's growing reputation as a hub for public art and cultural engagement.
