It started with something you could hold in your hand, a simple fishing float, striped and lightweight, sitting in my studio. Blown up to a grand scale at Watermans Cove, this gathering of buoyant forms becomes a barometer of the harbour’s energy cycles. I wanted to pay homage to the fisherwomen who worked these waters, and to the sea life beneath,” Dwyer explains.

Crafted from carbon fibre, fibreglass and steel, the same materials used in yacht construction, the structures respond dynamically to their environment, a material relationship to boats, buoys and fishing and an underwater structure that provides a reef-like habitat for marine life. Whether glowing in the sun or lit from inside at night, dancing or offering a contemplative presence, it is a barometer of the harbour’s energy cycles.

Commissioned by Lendlease in partnership with Infrastructure NSW, Monument for Fishes is the culmination of their decade-long Public Art and Cultural Plan for the Barangaroo Precinct. Delivered in collaboration with Event Engineering, the artwork draws on the expertise of more than 100 Australian specialists across engineering, fabrication and construction, highlighting the role of local talent in bringing the work to life. They range in height from 18.6 to 22.6 metres above the water-line – though one is a mere 20 centimetres across at its narrowest point – and weigh between 13.2 to 16.1 tonnes each.

The artwork is visible from many vantage points, including East Balmain, Pyrmont and other harbour locations, as well as from the city.

Daniel Baxter, Executive Director of Development for NSW/ACT at Lendlease, said, "Monuments for Fishes reflects the character and history of Sydney Harbour and adds another layer to how people experience Barangaroo. Its unveiling marks the completion of our public art program for Barangaroo, which has delivered five permanent artworks over more than a decade, contributing to a vibrant and culturally-rich precinct."

Over the past 11 years, the joint NSW Government and Lendlease program delivered four other permanent public artworks at Barangaroo:

• Shellwall by Esme Timbery with Jonathan Jones (2015)
• Shadows by German artist Sabine Hornig (2019)
• Mermer Waiskeder: Stories of the Moving Tide by the Ghost Net Collective, indigenous and non-indigenous artists from Erub in the Torres Strait, Cairns and Townsville (2023)
• Upside-Down Garden by Jumaadi (2025)

Several temporary works were also presented under the initiative, including:

• Art Ninjas by Nobumasa Takahashi (2016)
• As the Crow Flies by Reko Rennie (2017)
• Art Month Hoardings by Reko Rennie, Tony Albert, Karen Black and Joan Ross (2017)
• Naabami (thou shall/will see): Barangaroo (army of me) by Brenda Croft (2023)

 Monuments for Fishes is now on permanent public display in Watermans Cove at Barangaroo South.