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No, you\u2019re not seeing things. There are indeed sculptures of bin chickens holding tattoo guns and XXXX beer cans \u2013 even wearing headphones \u2013 dotted around Brisbane.<\/p>\n
The latest one to pop up is holding a snag in bread and is located at \u2013 you guessed it \u2013 Bunnings.<\/p>\n
These metal ibis sculptures, aptly named Binnies, are the work of local artist Ryan Forster, aka Sethius Art. For years, he\u2019s been creating a unique art trail from Caboolture down to the Gold Coast.<\/p>\n
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Artist Ryan Forster talks to Brisbane Times in front of one of his installations.Credit: Brittney Deguara<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought [the ibis] was going to be about the most Queensland thing I could think of, and it really just took off from there,\u201d he told this masthead while admiring his latest instalment at the newly reopened Bunnings Oxley.<\/p>\n
\u201cOverall, I\u2019ve made about 170 Binnies across different sizes \u2026 There are around 40 [for public viewing].\u201d<\/p>\n
One is holding scissors, another a tattoo gun. \u201cAnd then people buy them just for their poolroom at home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Take a road sign, not art<\/p>\n
The passion project began by bending a few rules, with Forster installing Binnies in various locations \u201con the sly\u201d. Most of those, however, have since gone missing \u2013 removed either by security or people with sticky fingers.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes they just fly away \u2026 it\u2019s really disheartening,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, it\u2019s a compliment to me that people love it so much they\u2019d steal it, but it\u2019s taking it away from the public.\u201d<\/p>\n
The latest to involuntarily flee the flock was holding a bucket of popcorn at Dendy Cinemas at the Brisbane Powerhouse.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople might be stumbling home drunk and see something and think, \u2018I want that\u2019,\u201d he said. \u201cI understand that mentality, but take a road sign, go old school, don\u2019t steal art.\u201d<\/p>\n
For those who might be reading this on the couch with a Binnie sitting next to them, Forster has a simple message: \u201cBring it back, do the right thing, let everyone else enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bunnings Binnie<\/p>\n
Forster\u2019s latest Binnie is firmly secured to a pole at Bunnings Oxley\u2019s new sausage sizzle area. It wasn\u2019t where he initially envisaged it when he launched his campaign for the hardware giant to adopt one.<\/p>\n
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Forster\u2019s latest Binnie, on display at Bunnings in Oxley.Credit: Brittney Deguara<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always just had this vision of one of my bin chickens sitting up on the corner, up on the roof, probably holding a hammer or a snag, so I reached out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The internet also got behind him, tagging Bunnings to turn his vision into a reality. While it would have been a hazard if Binnie made it to the roof, the store made him a nice home a little closer to the ground.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a bit of a communal spot where people can come, they can see Binnie, they can take a photo with him, and have a snag while they\u2019re at it,\u201d Forster says of the new location.<\/p>\n
He credits this win to the online community who got behind it.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople love jumping on a bandwagon like that. Everyone was pretty much backing Bunnings into a corner saying, \u2018you have to do it, you have to do it, it\u2019d be un-Australian not to\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018This is a Brisbane thing\u2019<\/p>\n
Forster has mastered the art of making these metal sculptures, taking just four days from start to finish. Using a template, he just needs to get creative with what he\u2019s holding \u2013 that\u2019s the part, he says, where he gets to be an artist.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it\u2019s [for] a tailor shop, it could be holding scissors, if it\u2019s a fish and chip shop, it could be holding a fish. And that\u2019s a big part of where I get to enjoy a little bit of creativity.\u201d<\/p>\n
And they\u2019re built for the elements, finished with metal paint. Forster says they\u2019ll be standing strong for decades.<\/p>\n
There isn\u2019t an exact map of his Binnies, but Forster says the joy is in driving around and seeing one out of the corner of your eye. Brisbane is the only place you can do that \u2013 and Forster has no plans to expand his creative operation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have such big ideas about where this city is heading and what it can look like, especially ahead of the Olympics,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really focusing all of my time and energy on making this city as amazing, vibrant, creative and colourful as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Forster is biding his time until he can make the big one: \u201cWe\u2019re thinking Big Banana, Big Pineapple, Big Binnie \u2026 I\u2019m talking 10 metres, at least.\u201dCredit: iStock \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Any Binnies popping up in southern cities have been purchased, not donated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m kind of shunning the rest of the cities, to be honest \u2026 this is a Brisbane thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Expect more Binnies to pop up around the city while Forster bides his time until he can make the big one.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re thinking Big Banana, Big Pineapple, Big Binnie \u2026 I\u2019m talking 10 metres, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n
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