By Tania Phillips
Local artist Gabriele Trabucco has vowed to continue his plan for sculptures to be installed along Quart Pot Creek despite having an application turned down by the Southern Downs Regional Council Public Art Reference Group (PARG).
PARG recommended that Council not approve the latest sculpture, titled The Gymnast, which Mr Trabucco said was the work of a “dear friend”.
The sculpture consists of a steel figure of a gymnast standing on one hand resting on a 3.5-metre steel post.
It was proposed that the sculpture be installed in the vicinity of the exercise area and children’s playground approximately 100 metres southwest of Carnarvon Bridge.
Two members of PARG ruled in favour of the project, stating it would add to the approved Sculpture Trail along Quart Pot Creek.
Three members voted against the project, with two of those citing concerns about the risk associated with it.
Mr Trabucco said he had spoken to the Mayor and was waiting for him to come back to him.
He said he would continue to lobby other supportive councillors.
Mr Trabucco said he is very passionate about public sculpture, as he has done public sculpture work in Brisbane and Stanthorpe.
“I have a master plan of creating a sculptural walk down Quart Pot Creek,” he said. “This sculpture is part of that scheme.”
Mr Trabucco explained that this particular sculpture is not his work but the work of a “very dear friend” who does “wonderful wire structures”.
They would have liked to see it installed near a playground and exercise station.
“There is a new procedure for getting public sculpture approved in the Southern Downs through the public art committee,” Mr Trabucco said.
“They had some issues with it, they were basically engineering issues -will it withstand wind pressure, would it be able to withstand occasional flooding of the creek and so on.
“The issue is whenever I do a public sculpture or get involved in it, I go to an engineer first.
“There was no difference with this situation.
“I submitted a drawing to the committee, basically indicating there would be drawings and specifications from an engineer.
“But they saw fit not to accept that and I understand really.”
Mr Trabucco said he may now still go on and get an engineer to do the drawings.
“In my submission, I said that engineering drawings would be submitted before the structure was installed, but I didn’t want to go to the expense of $1000 without having an assurance that it would go through, so I’m not sure,” he said.
“I had a meeting with the mayor and he said he would look into it,” he said. “That was a couple of weeks ago and he hasn’t got back to me.”
“I’m kind of in limbo.”
