CANBERRA Glassworks artist-in-residence Hannah Gason has designed a limited-edition, ornamental Christmas artwork inspired by the Commonwealth Star motif.

Each subtle piece has been handcrafted from cullet glass, using kiln-forming techniques, and depicts the seven-pointed star, which appears on the Australian flag and coat of arms.

The result of a collaboration between the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House and Canberra Glassworks at the Kingston Powerhouse, the project acknowledges the fact that both organisations reside in buildings designed by John Smith Murdoch, Australia’s first Commonwealth Government architect.

Murdoch used the Commonwealth Star motif, which symbolises Australia’s federal system of government, and stylised interpretations of it in the chambers and on doors, balustrades and cornices of Old Parliament House.