Aqualis - The Watery Portal

Flowing water and curious sea creatures fill this shifting world. Water moves in gentle waves and swirling patterns.

Discover the artists that have brought these watery creatures to life!

Over many weeks, these artists have dedicated hours towards creating imaginative, otherworldly creatures, all with their own personality and stories.

Read on to discover more…

Where Light Bends

Beatrix and friends

Where the Light Bends is a collaborative installation conceived and crafted by neurodivergent children, inviting visitors to step through a portal into a world beneath the waves. Suspended objects catch the air and engage the senses — sound, texture, and sight converging in a single immersive threshold.

The title speaks to the science of water, where light refracts and reality softens at the edges but it also speaks to the minds that made this piece. Neurodivergent children experience the world with a particular intensity and richness, noticing what others pass by, feeling what others barely register. This installation is their vision: a deep, shimmering world where difference is not deficit, but depth.

To pass through Where the Light Bends is to see, briefly, the way they see and to understand that the most vivid worlds are often the ones hiding just below the surface.

The Great Sea Beard

Maya Briggs | Student from Noadswood School

The Great Sea Beard (Barba marina), is a gentle giant that travels as if it were flowing. The scales on its back shimmer, mirroring the stars in the sky and holding the memories of a thousand light-years of travel. Did you know, its tendrils are sensors that detect the heartbeat of the ocean?

This design is based off of whales and sea dragons. The colour combinations I used match the colours of the deep sea and the colour of coral. Animals that look elegant and graceful have always interested me, and I thought I would like to imagine and create one of my own. I also had help from my friends to help me paint the final thing!

The Abyssal Voyager

Laura Alp | Facebook: @lauraalpsart

The Abyssal Voyager. A direct counterpart to the “Nomad.” While one wanders the planets this one wanders the crushing depths of the void.
Inspired by Ben, Ruby, Ollie, Violet & Bobby

I’m Laura, a Hampshire based artist, my specialities are sketching and painting. Lots of my illustrations are inspired by my children Ben, Ruby, Ollie and Violet.

This particular voyager travels the depths of the oceans, where many other weird and wonderful creatures reside.

You can find more of my art work on www.tiktok.com/@lauraalpartist

Kirk - 2

Julie Elliott | Instagram: @woodlandsclaypit

I am an artist in the waterside area. I enjoy working with air dry and earthenware clay.

I am grateful for funding that I recently received from Culture in Common for funding for teaching art workshops at our local Cancer Support Unit. This has proved both fun and successful.

I enjoy making both practical and decorative items from clay. I also enjoy experimenting with different techniques, using different tools to create something special.

Damanansi the Sea Creature

Tom Wright | Instagram: @newforestopenairtheatre

“Damanansi the sea creature walks because it has feet and it has shoes. Damanansi swims in the pond. Damanansi has wings and it can fly. Damanansi likes the colour gold. I just imagined it.”

Damanansi is made by Tom Wright (age 3). Tom has been coming to Furzey Gardens since before he was born. Tom’s mum directs the summer plays at Furzey Gardens and Tom’s dad is often in the plays.

This year’s play is “She Stoops to Conquer”. Come down for a night of laughter and song in an idyllic garden setting.

Flow

Maria Jaroszewicz AKA Selune | Instagram: @selunemariaj

Maria Jaroszewicz AKA Selune is a multidisciplinary artist, specialising in sculpture and installation. She is currently finishing her BA Fine Art at Arts University Bournemouth and planning her future MA in painting.

In her practice she uses heavy texture incorporating natural elements such as earth and water, taking inspiration from spiritual connection with Mother Nature and the Universe, that she perceives as a conscious Oneness. These heavy textures, sculptural accents, her love for crystals and connection to elements are distinctively visible in alien creatures created by the artist for Furzey Gardens.

Meet three alien creatures from lava, water and gem worlds. Each one is shaped by its environment and shows how life can grow in different ways.
Apart from sculpture and painting the artist enjoys working with textiles, photography, moving picture and sound.

Ocedeetis

Charlotte White | Instagram: @Chardraws33

For this piece, Charlotte White (she/her) focuses on combining key elements of sea creatures—shells, scales, gills, and fins—painted in oil. The work blends portraiture with marine forms, creating a whimsical, dreamlike figure shaped by nature and imagination.

Charlotte White is a painter and coloured pencil artist currently studying BA Fine Art at Arts University Bournemouth. Working in a whimsical style, her practice centres on portraiture and nature, drawing on themes of biophilia to explore the innate human connection to the natural world.

Her work is deeply informed by her experience at Furzey Gardens, where she engages with inclusive creative environments and develops her interest in supporting individuals with special educational needs. This perspective continues to shape her ambition to pursue a career in art therapy.

Through delicate mark-making and imaginative compositions, Charlotte creates work that is both playful and reflective, inviting viewers to reconnect with nature, emotion, and self.

Seaflare

Diane Hunter

Seaflare came from my love of beaches and being near the sea.

I work for Minstead Trust, and I love what it stands for and what it achieves for people with learning disabilities and autism. I wanted to create something that felt joyful and imaginative, and fun!

Coraly the Monster

Harriet Owen | Student at Noadswood School

This coral monster bursts with colour but is hidden under the depth of the sea, with her big personality she always smiles with her teethy grin, shy but is the kindest monster you’ll ever run into.

I love cartoon drawing and illustration and I was inspired by comics I read. I created this monster to look like she had grown from the coral itself with bright colours and unusual shapes. I wanted her to be fun and kind.