Montsalvat’s upper pond has worn many faces: I have seen it emptied to cracked mud, and lush with small reptiles and feathered visitors. After a long day in my studio, I often pause at its edge to watch the sky slip into its depths.
It has held wishes, secrets, and the resting place of our beloved peahen, Missy. Like us, it carries more than it reveals—yet it keeps moving with the turning year, receiving each change as it comes.
When clouds drift across its surface, the world seems to turn softly inside out. But under a full moon, when silver light trembles in the water and perception begins to blur, the pond becomes a threshold: sky meeting earth through a shifting veil of liquid. In those moments, I am a child again—full of impossible wishes, wondering what lives above us, and how the water knows how to return it all in light.
Wanting to pay homage to this sparkling, secret jewel of Montsalvat, I chose one of my many photographs of the pond as the heart of a hand-cut collage, finished with flashes of gold foil. The original artwork, Desire Has No Body — No. 2, belongs to an ongoing series and found its fitting final resting place within a thrifted vintage frame.
Specifications:
- Shape: Octagonal (8 panels)
- Length: M: 52cm [21″]; L: 102cm [40″]
- Open Canopy size:
- (M: 135x135cm [54″x54″] – easily fits into a standard tote/handbag, comfortably can shelter up to 2 people standing/walking in half-circle shape,
- (L: 150x150cm [60″x60″] – wow factor, lightweight, comfortably can shelter up to 3 people standing/walking in half-circle shape, perfect for special occasions/golf, great walking stick/self-defence apparatus if unsavoury characters approach
- Easy & fast opening action in case of rainmergency (just press button on handle)
- Material: Polyester
PRE-ORDERING:
🎁Next pre-order deadline: Fri, 9th Oct 2026⏰
TIMELINES (calculated from pre/order deadline, unless in current, immediate stock)
Australia: Because all umbrellas are made to order, please allow up to 14 days (after pre-order deadline) for your order to be shipped. All umbrellas are delivered by Australia Post (however, if urgent, please contact us directly to find out if your choice is currently in stock).
International: Because all umbrellas are made to order, please allow up to 3-4 weeks (after pre-order deadline) for your order to be shipped (perhaps sooner – subject to current airfreight circumstances). (However, if urgent, please contact us directly to find out if your choice is currently in stock).
POSTAGE/DELIVERY options:
- FREE pick-up at Montsalvat, Eltham (free) – use promo-code pickup at checkout!
- SHIPPING:
- Australia: $15
- International: $50
