Friday 11 May 2012

EAGLE SCULPTURE

"Eagle" is a beautiful sculpture standing 25 metres or about seven storeys high. It is by Bruce Armstrong, one of the most important sculptors currently working in Australia, and it was erected in May 2002.  The sculpture is also known as "Bunjil", which is the name the aboriginal Wurundjeri people use for the creator figure, who is an eagle.

The pediment is painted jarrah wood fixed on a steel frame, and the bird itself is cast aluminium which has been painted to resemble polychromed hardwood.  The enormous scale is what makes it so amazing and one cannot perhaps appreciate its vast size from a distance. You can see it from several different roads that go past the site, and I look at it every morning from the commuter train I ride. It's not meant to be seen or approached from ground level. If you do park the car somewhere and walk up to the base, its effect is lost, I think.

"Eagle" was commissioned for the Docklands precinct under the Docklands Authority's public art scheme, which requires all the half-dozen developers operating in the precinct to spend 1% of the capital cost of their projects on public art. The most recent estimate I saw was that sixty million dollars would eventually be spent this way - if the developers don't run out of sites first.


This post is part of Sylvia's Skywatch Friday meme.



27 comments:

  1. What an awesome sculpture, Nick! And how beautiful it is against your lovely blue skies -- he matches the big clouds perfectly! Superb captures as always! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

    Sylvia

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  2. That is a massive sculpture! Fascinating!!

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  3. What an incredible work of art! It's good to know that developers have to contribute in this way.

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  4. An unusual sculpture, but I like it!

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  5. Wow - what a great sculpture!

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  6. Interesting sculpture. I really like the last shot.

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  7. Fun sculpture and good sky for background.

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  8. That is real nice sculpture.

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  10. Hi there - often see this on the way around the loop.

    Stewart M - Melbourne

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  11. Interesting and fascinating sculpture.
    Beautiful shots as always.
    Wish you a wonderful weekend.
    Mette

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  12. Amazing sculpture! I can see that being close to it would diminish the grandeur!

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  13. Very intriguing work!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  14. I would love to see that sculpture. than you for this...I am interested in distant places and love to see the art work!!

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  15. That is huge! Lovely shots.

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  16. Oh, how beautiful! This is a magnificent sculpture... I love how the white contrasts the blue sky.

    Happy weekend Nick.

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  17. Huge. Last picture is wonderful. Please have a good weekend.

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  18. Very nice shots and great statue!
    Thanks for sharing. And thanks for visiting and taking the time to comment;o)

    ***
    Have a nice weekend****

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  19. Thanks for the awesome photographs of that lucky eagle.

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  20. Cool looking sculpture! And your skies are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing,happy skywatching!

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  21. He looks a trifle down in the dumps, Nick.

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  22. I've never been too certain about this sculpture. I remember wondering what it was when I first saw it. I thin just a tad too abstract for me.

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