Bundjalung artist Rubyrose Bancroft has created this year's Christmas artwork for Barangaroo, wrapping the precinct's native-plant trees in her signature design drawn from her series 'Ngullingah Jugan 5 (Our Country)'.
The large ribbon installation is based on a hand-painted work that was photographed and fabricated to fit the three native Christmas trees on site.
Ms Bancroft said the swirling pattern reflects how she understands movement and connection across Country.
"It's like the rhythm of Country... everything has a ripple effect," she said.
She said the design is grounded in the idea that all elements of Country are linked, even when those connections are not immediately visible.
"Everything's intertwined, even if you can't see it," she said.
"I chose a purple one because purple is my mother's favourite colour."
Ms Bancroft first saw the trees completed at night, surrounded by light and native plants selected for the display.
She said watching the public engage with the installation reinforced what she hoped the work would achieve.
"I wanted the trees to speak for themselves... I wanted people to take their own parts from it away," she said.
She added the inclusion of native plants was central to the message, offering a reminder of cultural knowledge, land care and the role plants hold in ceremony and daily life.
Ms Brancroft hopes visitors take away a deeper understanding of place and an awareness of how public spaces can better reflect the Country they sit on.
The installation is a quiet way of prompting people to think about native species, respect for land and the value of Indigenous-led storytelling.
"As much as there's forward thinking and trying to acknowledge the traditional owners, this is still a very uneducated and racist country," she said.
"Putting the native plants on show is a really good way of amplifying that connection to land."
She notes working on the Barangaroo project allowed her to bring a long-standing practice into a highly visible space during a time of year associated with gathering and reflection.
Ms Bancroft hopes the artwork encourages visitors to slow down, look closely and consider how people and place remain connected.
