Holy Cow !

 

Above: Cow up a Tree
This striking and unusual art created by John Kelly was originally installed at Docklands in February 2001, and later dismantled and stored so that construction works to lower the wharf could be undertaken. It was then reinstalled in 2003.

This iconic sculpture is made of five tonnes on patinated bronze and is eight metres high. You may think the sight of a cow stuck up a tree rather curious and surreal but the absurd vision of a cow being stuck up a tree is based on reality. The inspiration comes from the Australian landscape and a water based theme. Australian floods are often violent and it is not unknown for cattle to be swept into trees whilst floods are ascending only to be stranded once they subside. The artist witnessed this occurring in the Gippsland area of Victoria.


Today's quote: I gotta go Julia, we got cows ~ Melissa in Twister

The Westgate Bridge

 

Above: The Westgate Bridge
Spanning the Yarra River, just north of its mouth into Port Phillip, the West Gate Bridge links the inner city and Melbourne's western suburbs with the industrial suburbs in the west and with the city of Geelong which is 80kms to the south-west. With its height above the water at 58m, the main river span is 336 m, and the total length of the bridge is 2,582.6 metres.

The Collapse of the Bridge
Two years into its construction on 15 October 1970, just before 12 noon the bridge collapsed, killing 35 construction workers. Many of those who perished were on their lunch break beneath the structure in workers' huts, which were crushed by the falling span. Others were working on and inside the girder when it fell. The whole 2,000-tonne mass plummeted into the Yarra River mud with an explosion of gas, dust and mangled metal that shook buildings hundreds of metres away. Homes were spattered with flying mud. The roar of the impact, the explosion, and the fire that followed, could be clearly heard over 20 km away.

In 1972 construction resumed and the bridge was completed in 1978. After 10 years of construction, the bridge, a part of the larger West Gate Freeway, cost $202 million. The bridge opened to the public on 16 November 1978 and it was tolled until 15 November 1985. When it first opened, everybody went across it at least once just to see what it was like and to say they'd been.



Today's quote: “Let every man praise the bridge that carries him over” ~ English proverb.

The Cruise Boat

 

Above: The M.Y. Challenger
This stunning vessel was once a gentleman's private yacht - now it cruises along the waters of Port Philip Bay where the passengers partake of Sunday Brunch. Sipping a French Champagne while on the upper front deck on a warm Sunday with blue, sunny skies is a lovely way to loll away a couple of hours. And best of all - parking is free on Sundays!

Today's quote: Yachts are the closest a commoner can get to sovereignty. ~ Charles Simonyi.

Blowhole - Art on the Waterfront

 

Blowhole
This 15 metre high wind-powered sculpture was created in November 2005 by Australian artist Duncan Stemler who has an interest in kinetic and public sculpture. Blowhole is a large scale public art commission (won through competition) for Vic Urban in Docklands. The armature and cups interact with each other to form patterns, colours and shadows. The cups are arranged to pick up the wind like an anemometer on the top of a yacht’s mast and spin in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction with the rotation speed dependent on the prevailing wind.

 

Ian Potter Museum of Art director Chris McAuliffe said of Blowhole, it was sensitive to the location and shows a sense of history, which is to say it has something of a maritime, waterfront promenade feel.

Below is a short vidoe of Blowhole in action -


It is fascinating to watch it in action - see the cups how they spin and turn as they are propelled forever forward in motion by the wind.

Usually, the images you see of Blowhole are of the two up top. Below are two not often shown.

 

Above: Blowhole with rings
The rings are strategically placed around the Blowhole.

 

Above: Close-up
The rings came up to about waist high.


Today's Quote: Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will ~ George Bernard Shaw

Mushrooms or Toadstools?

Have a seat
These bright, fun "mushrooms" can be found at Docklands Park between Collins Street and Bourke Street. The park is part of a city parkland in Victoria Harbour. There's BBQ’s and a new interactive Play Journey with soft ground so if kiddies fall off the swings or other gadgets they don't hurt themselves. It's a really nice place to have a picnic or sit and read a book. The free City Tourist tram stops at the front at Waterview Walk and there are public toilets as well.

 

City map
The map above shows the location of Docklands Park.


Today's Quote: French painter Rousseau was once asked why he put a naked woman on a red sofa in the middle of his jungle pictures. He answered, "I needed a bit of red there" ~ Jean Jacques Rousseau

Continuum

Continuum by Michael Snape (1951 - )
Created in 2005, this impressive artistic work measures 600 x 600 x 1200 cm and stands at the intersection of The Esplanade and Bourke Street along Waterview Walk. Essentially, Continuum is about the dance of life, reflecting the human condition of being alive.

The interconnected figures encircle each other and reach up to the sky, conveying a sense of community, co-operation and wellbeing. The artist was inspired by the Docklands coming to life again, impacting on the community's sense of self and causing "an internal shift: this is the continuum."

The Leaning Tower of Glass

The Leaning Glass
Take a walk along Docklands, and in the grounds near Southern Cross Station is this leaning conglomerare of frosted glass and metal with etchings on each 'tier'. What it is nobody knows and try as I might I've not been able to find out from the Melbourne City Council - it isn't listed in their documents.

And so - I wonder about the artist who created it as I look at its smooth, clean lines.

Aurora

"Aurora"
Created by Geoffrey Bartlett, this wonderful artwork dwarfs any who walk under its arch. Standing at the corner of Harbour Esplanade and Bourke Street, it is a giant of gleaming steel with gracefull curves and is lit internally at night creating an impression of a floating ball.

Cows in Trees

Hey diddle diddle
The cat and the fiddle
The cow jumped over the moon...

Except this cow didn't quite make it and landed in a tree.

"Cow Up a Tree" was designed by John Kelly and is one of the sculptures at Melbourne Docklands public art walk. The artist was inspired by the floods in Gippsland Victoria, which swept cattle into trees and left them stranded when the floods subsided.

Shoal Fly By

The Spatial Information Architecture Laboratory (SIAL)
and artists Michael Bellemo and Cat Macleod
have worked together to create Shoal Fly By -
a series of public art for the Melbourne Docklands precinct.
The artwork consists of four separate sculptures
which depict the form and movement of surfaces in water
and are constructed from stainless steel metal tubing.

A closer look at this artwork can be found here at Bellemo & Cat