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Centenary Sculpture Installed

Not just something to see, the Centenary Sculpture "Shaft" at the Wonthaggi Centenary Centre also gives the viewer a tactile experience of a coal mine.

By Bass Coast - 19th January 2012 - Back to News

Installed on Tuesday, 10 January, the new sculpture is the finishing touch to the new Centre.

Bass Coast Shire Council Acting Chief Executive Officer, Steven Piasente, said that the sculpture was commissioned as part of the Wonthaggi Centenary celebrations."The sculpture creates a feature in front of the Centennial Centre and its placement has historical significance. The position is right next to the rail trail, a line that was used to transport the coal and which once lead to the last operating mine, Kirrack.

"It was an exciting moment to see the sculpture finally lowered into position," said Mr Piasente.

Designer Shane Cargill and sculptor Martin Moore made minor adjustments after the 1000 x 60cm x 3000 centimetre high sculpture, was craned into position."We are pleased with the outcome and it was a requirement in the artists’ brief that this artwork reference the history of the area," continued Mr Piasente.

Shane was inspired to explore the relationship between the miner and raw coal, after a visit to the mine site. He describes the sculpture as "representing the volume of coal that each miner was expected to bring above ground each day. Another aspect of the work is a recessed life size silhouette of a miner working at the bottom of the vertical shaft. The size of the sculpture makes you realise the immense work that these people did."

Mr Piasente said both Martin and Shane had a very small dose of the mining experience, when they created a mould of the coal.

"They had to chip away at a coal face to make a clean area to apply a special silicone to create the mould.The mould was then taken to a studio in Melbourne where they used it to create the pattern of coal face that forms the front and back of the sculpture. I am impressed with the detail that the artists have used to create an impression of a mining experience," Mr Piasente said.

The sculpture exterior is made of black oxide pigmented fondue cement and the surface has a satin surface and sealed to maintain its shine. It has been reproduced so that visitors can view the work and enjoy a tactile experience.

"This major public art commission demonstrates Council’s commitment to supporting quality public art work in Bass Coast," said Mr Piasente.

"Council recently introduced a policy of commissioning public art as a part of large scale developments undertaken by Council or private developers. In addition Council has made a commitment to funding public art on an annual basis, and allocated $50,000 this financial year, part of which will fund an artwork designed for Cowes Town Square."

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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