Brick Bonds celebrates the working-class heritage and industrial history of the City of Charles Sturt through a playful and interactive sculptural form. Inspired by the humble house brick, the work acknowledges the area’s legacy of brickmaking while recognising the labour, craftsmanship and collective effort that shaped the surrounding communities.

The sculpture takes the form of two oversized bricks leaning together to create an inverted V, echoing the corner bond pattern that gives brickwork its strength and stability. At the centre of the work, a kaleidoscope invites visitors to look through and experience the park as a constantly shifting arrangement of colour, light and reflection. As multiple viewers engage with the work, their reflections merge with the surrounding landscape and sky, transforming the sculpture into a shared experience that encourages curiosity, connection and play.

Commissioned for Drayton Street Pocket Park, Brick Bonds creates a distinctive landmark that is visible from the street while inviting people to explore the park more closely. Finished in earthy tones reminiscent of clay and red brick, the sculpture responds to the site’s industrial history while celebrating the enduring strength of community. By combining a familiar architectural form with an unexpected interactive element, the work reflects the idea that places and communities are built not only through history and labour, but through the ongoing participation of the people who inhabit them.

Jason Sims is a contemporary Australian artist whose sculptural practice explores the relationship between light, reflection and perception. Through carefully constructed optical experiences, he creates works that challenge conventional understandings of space, inviting audiences to reconsider their surroundings through moments of wonder, illusion and contemplation.

Working across sculpture and installation, Sims uses reflective surfaces and geometric forms to transform everyday environments into immersive experiences. His practice encourages active participation, with viewers becoming integral to the work as shifting perspectives, movement and light continually reshape each encounter.

Since graduating with a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours) from the University of South Australia in 2006, Sims has exhibited extensively throughout Australia and internationally, including across Asia, Europe and the United States. His work is held in major public and private collections, and he has completed significant public commissions, including a major installation for Illuminate Adelaide in 2021. His sculptures continue to engage audiences through their combination of technical precision, visual illusion and playful interaction.