Looking Back at a Summer of Anchorball at RBG

“What happened at RBG over the summer was not an accident!”, according to the introductory signage that introduced Anchorball. This massive outdoor exhibition landed in Hendrie Park transforming it into a vivid sculptural landscape where bold characters, imaginative narratives, and contemporary form merged with nature to create a world that felt full of wonder.

Marking Royal Botanical Gardens’ largest and most ambitious exhibition to date, and coinciding with its 85th anniversary, the display was on view from June 20^th through to September 20, 2026. The “Canadian premier” of this exhibition featured 18 monumental fibreglass sculptures ranging up to 12 feet tall, and introduced visitors to an evolving fictional universe, known as Low Orbit City, populated by playful and mythical characters.

The Main Characters included four bold sculptures; Willy, Winky, Bunni B, and Quantum Leap, each approximately 8 feet tall with its own personality and backstory. For example, Bunni B doesn’t finish things. He starts them so well they can’t be ignored. And Winky–who greeted everyone as they exited the tunnel to Hendrie Park–watches what people don’t say. She reads emotional frequencies the way others read signs!

Many people loved the 8-foot-tall Venus Aurora Floralis Series, that combined human form with botanical elements in a series of sculptural portraits. It featured four sisters with varying facial expressions and fabulous headdresses. The sisters don’t rule Low Orbit City. They guide it. Each reads a different layer of reality—potential, joy, persistence, and renewal. These sentiments resonated with many people who viewed them—with Bubblegum Girl being a particular favourite.

The Florals Series included floral sculptures up to 12 feet tall that sprung up out of the garden in a magical way to inspire everyone. They were called; Spire Blossom, Tulip Dancers (4), Kung Pao, Petal Nova, Mystiflora and Hue Shine. These giant floral sculptures gave people a different perspective on flowers as they rose overhead.

In addition to all the physical installations, visitors could discover a hidden digital world using Augmented Reality (AR) with characters known as Cloudwalkers and unlock an AR Masterpiece, extending the experience beyond the visible landscape and inviting moments of surprise, play, and exploration throughout the garden.

As part of the exhibition, RBG welcomed 356 students in Grades 6-8 over a two-day “Art in the Garden” Symposium. Students met artist Ken Kelleher through a live virtual presentation and Q&A, where they explored the creative vision behind Anchorball, Low Orbit City, and the use of augmented reality in art.

Students posed thoughtful questions ranging from practical aspects of artistic practice, such as Kelleher’s favourite materials to work with, to the creative decisions behind the vivid colours and characters that populate Low Orbit City. Throughout the day, students participated in guided exhibition tours, mindfulness experiences in Hendrie Park, pop-art creation and nature-based art activities, and sessions focused on emerging technologies led by an external 3D-printing and technology partner.

Students also engaged in discussion about artificial intelligence and ethics before concluding the day with a facilitated conversation exploring questions such as “What is art?” and “How is technology influencing creativity?” The symposium encouraged students to consider the connections between art, nature, technology, and human creativity.

We would like to thank everyone that came out to experience this joyful fusion of nature and art design, and we express our gratitude to the supporters below who made this amazing summer exhibition possible: