ARTSOURCE
APPROACH:
Artsource was given the task of
scoping the project and developing the brief for
this project which was a partnership to bring
an artwork to fruition that acknowledged the history
of the Port in terms of migrant arrivals to WA.
Themes developed for the work included gateways,
passages, the tensions between arrival and departure,
connections to countries, the rest of the state
and to Australia as a whole.
19 artist submissions were received
following public advertising and artsource promotion
of the project. 4 artists were short-listed to
develop concepts and Tony Jones was selected.
The selection panel included the partners and
the Mediterranean Shipping Company and P&O
who were considerable sponsors.
Tony chose to work with a life
sized bronze figure representing the loneliness,
strength and the tenacity that individuals coming
to an unknown country need. The figure carries
a ship under one arm and a suitcase in the other
and is met by a dingo – another successful
migrant. He also developed a gangplank to mark
the transition, and inserted the names of over
50 ships which regularly visited the port from
all parts of the world. A slightly cheeky element
included the name of the Tampa – which while
fitted out to bring new settlers to Australia,
certainly almost had the role thrust upon it.
The coordination role included
working closely with representatives from all
the partners and sponsoring businesses. |
