The Beacon
The "Beacon" started life as a project for South Australian Living Artist's week in August, 2000. It was exhibited at the Goolwa Old Police Station Art Gallery, Goolwa, South Australia in a group exhibition of subjects associated with the Murray River entitled "Murray Matters".
Navigation Beacons are prevalent around the shallows of the Lower Murray and lakes near Goolwa. This one is a Starboard beacon, by tradition green, to be kept on the starboard side of the ship when entering port. It is constructed from steel, coloured glass in a variety of greens, marbles, bottle bottoms and other materials commonly at hand, such as pot scourers, welding rods, rubber grommets and natural limestone rocks.
The work can be read on many levels.
It can be immediately enjoyed for its tactile and visual appeal.
The decoration has watery themes and can be variously seen to illustrate bubbles rising from the fish, the meandering flow of the river or the beauty of its ox-bow lakes and aquatic life.
The beacon itself, with its man-made materials and industrial, thrusting shape, represents the arrival of European colonisation and the beginnings of what has become the relentless exploitation of the River.
The body of the beacon also illustrates a possible future scenario: the flow of river has been reduced to a string of disconnected billabongs and the remaining few centre-pivot sprinklers won't rest until they have sucked every drop dry.
The fish, tortoise and reeds give relief from this barren prospect. They symbolise the hope that we may yet revere the Murray as the work of the Ultimate Artist and show it the respect such a wondrous creation deserves.
"Beacon", Steel, Glass, Limestone, Lead, Wood, Rubber
2700mm
as exhibited at Goolwa Old Police Station Art Gallery
"Beacon" detail, Glass, Lead, Steel
A section of the main beacon body showing the "billabongs" of clear window glass, leaded into 1.8mm sheet steel, as are the bottle bottoms and large marbles. The small marbles are held in place by rubber grommets.
The whole construction is bolted onto a steel angle frame to give rigidity and is attached to a steel base plate under the limestone rocks.
"Beacon" detail, Steel, Glass, Lead, Rubber
"Beacon" detail, Steel, Rubber, Glass
The fish were oxy-cut from 1.8mm sheet steel and patterned by the heat of the torch. Their marble eyes are held in rubber grommets.
The reeds are 5mm steel rod with stainless steel pot cleaners for heads.
"Jemimah", Steel, Beads, Glass