Pearly gateway to grace Peninsula freeway
A gateway of pearls welcomes visitors to the Mornington Peninsula as a new sculpture has been installed this week alongside the Peninsula Link freeway.
The new sculpture, Peninsula Pearls, by Dutch-born local sculptor Manon van Kouswijk, is sited along the Peninsula Link freeway in Melbourne’s South East as part of a unique and award-winning commitment to public art. It replaces Michael Riddle’s sculpture Iconoclast which was located at the Skye Road exit ramp around the corner from McClelland.
Peninsula Pearls presents as a giant pearl chain and beaded necklace, comprising over thirty large spheres suspended at differing heights between four to ten metres. These brightly coloured balls provide multiple visual references such as beach balls, map pins, Ferris wheels, and the history of modernist design on the Mornington Peninsula.
The formation of the pearls appears to change in an optical illusion as motorists drive past.
Peninsula Pearls was selected from 144 submissions from local, interstate and international artists in a $300,000 commission as part of an ongoing program of sculptures along Peninsula Link.
The program is part of a 25-year partnership with Southern Way and McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery, with 14 works in total to be displayed until 2037. Funding for the sculptures is provided by Southern Way.
After four years on display, the artworks are moved to McClelland’s 16-hectare sculpture park where they become part of the permanent collection.
Artist Manon van Kouswijk describes her sculpture as a reinterpretation of the archetypal forms of the pearl chain and beaded necklace through a range of materials and processes.
“My proposition for this sculpture is that the Peninsula Link will be wearing one of my works for four years; my sculpture will temporarily adorn the freeway. However, in this scenario it is not the wearer who is moving with the piece or the jewellery moving with the wearer. Rather, the audience moves past the object.
“Peninsula Pearls suggests the wearing of jewellery as a transient experience; the object disintegrates as one drives past. The varied views of the beaded sculpture open up a space for multiple associations, from funfair and Ferris wheel to pins on a map and a molecular model,” Ms van Kouswijk said.
McClelland director, Lisa Byrne, said Peninsula Pearls will mark a fitting welcome to the Peninsula, which is for many a jewel in Melbourne’s crown.
“Peninsula Pearls is the sixth sculpture to be commissioned as part of this unique sculpture program which began in 2013.
“Manon van Kouswijk’s work is on display in galleries and museums worldwide, and we love that we can showcase it in this way along one of our busiest freeways.
“Each day around 74,000 motorists travel along Peninsula Link past these sculptures. They allow us to engage with the community through art and give motorists a cultural experience as they enter our region,” Ms Byrne said.
Peninsula Pearls was created by Manon van Kouswijk with Monash Art Projects (MAP) and Monash University, fabricated by Robert Hook and installed by JK Fasham.