Pete and Jenny Filmer, with their son Geoff, painstakingly created the 300 fish to fill the vast almost-5000-square-metre space.

Each fish is made from recycled corflutes - advertising not political - to create a colorful vista in the drained pond of the Federation Centenary Fountains in the Parliamentary Triangle, just north of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.

It's not the first public work they have done - Geoff has painted murals all around Canberra and the trio created the big pink gnome for Floriade. The fish sculptures will be in place throughout the Enlighten Festival, which starts tonight and continues until March 14 (the building projections are after dark until March 8).

"We're super excited to be part of Enlighten," Geoff said.

"I'm so lucky to do all these things and have these opportunities. It's like, 'Wow! Big public sculpture'. It's so exciting.

"It's a rare opportunity to work as a family and such a gift to be able to do these things."

The idea to fill the drained pond with fish came to Jenny in the middle of the night, to celebrate both community and individuality.

"Even though the fish are one school, some of them are looking over here, and some of them are moving a different way ... it was just a way to celebrate that everybody is different," Jenny said.

A prototype of the fish was weather tested for five weeks to ensure they were robust.

They also had to get creative in transporting the fish from their bush studio near Tharwa. In the end, all 300 made the trip in the family caravan.

Geoff and his wife Krista have 10-year-old twins, Gus and Lucy, who helped to install the fish.

Lucy was this week also voted Minister for Arts in the school parliament at Gowrie Primary. The family tradition looks set to continue.

"She's already planning a mural for near the art room," Geoff said, with a laugh.

"I can't wait to be collaborating on a job with her in the lead."

Meanwhile, why are the fountains empty?

A spokesperson for the National Capital Authority said the Federation Fountains were commissioned in 1968 but "after some years of intermittent operation they were rendered inoperable".

"The Federation Fountains are a bespoke asset with heritage values, which leads to higher costs for redevelopment and repairs," they said.

"The repair of the fountains must be balanced with other priorities across the entire National Capital Estate. The NCA is undertaking a range of studies on the fountains to assess repair options."

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