Concept

Matthew Flinders Commemorative Monument: Augusta WA

Artist’s Statement-Concept Description:

Quote: Matthew Flinders Journal.

“Monday, 7 December 1801. At two in the morning we had 80 Fathoms, and veered towards the land. It was seen from the mast head at five; and the highest part, the same which had been set in the evening, bore N.12⁰ W. This is the largest of the before-mentioned Isles of St.Alouarn; but at half past seven we saw hills extending from behind, and to all appearances, joining it to the main land. This supposed isle is, therefore, what I denominate CAPE LEEUWIN, as being the south-western and most projecting part of Leeuwin’s Land.”

The inspiration behind the design of this Monument is a relatively simple one:

To capture a special moment in time; this being, when Matthew Flinders ship the ‘Investigator’ sighted Cape Leeuwin for the first time and to distil this moment into a physical, powerful symbol, which could be seen from many kilometres in all directions- thus creating a major landmark for this Coast.

This is where Flinders begins his great task of mapping the Australian Continental Coastline, at Augusta, in Western Australia. Of all the many Memorials built in his honour, we believe that this one will be unique.

Since the entire expedition was done under sail, we have drawn upon this imagery to fashion a powerful, billowing icon, in stainless steel – frozen in time and place, forever ‘underway’.  It will be a beacon marking the beginning of Flinders incredible feat of survey and seamanship. It should be noted that when satellite surveys were carried out on the Australian Coastline in recent times it was discovered that Flinders survey was astonishingly accurate.

The imagery and character of this icon had to be unambiguously nautical.  Thus, we symbolically interpreted the foresails and mast of The Investigator, which amply fulfilled this requirement.  The exact scale of this sculptured feature will be determined once the site has been obtained, but it should, ideally, be imposing and of sufficient size to be visible from a long distance.

All monuments should reward those who make the effort to visit them, leaving the visitor with an experience fully informed of the visual and historical context of that monument.  It is our intention to create a multi- layered experience for visitors, involving sculptural features, historical detail, up to and including smart phone apps, which together, will make this commemorative experience, one to be remembered.

The most important aspect of any monument or memorial, is the site. This is the ‘stage’, or theatrical setting upon which the story of Flinders remarkable feat will be enacted. This context is the defining feature of the monument and, if successful, will create a self-contained ‘precinct’ unique unto itself. It will be a time capsule for future generations to discover here on this wild bare confluence of two great oceans, reminding and informing them, in detail, just what an incredible navigator and scientist Matthew Flinders was.

Having examined a range of options for siting the proposed monument, in the end we were inspired by the construction of the new marina just west of Augusta. Watching the machines push great rocks out into the sea it came to us that we could do this too, only with more finesse. How fitting that the soaring, billowing stainless steel sculpture should float over the water, heading for the land.

We saw how we could develop our design so that it appeared to ‘hover’, just a little offshore…as the Investigator did here, in 1801. Essentially it would be constructed as a circular ‘Deck’ pinned to the rocks below with piles. The visitors experience when walking out onto this ‘Deck’, with restless waves surging ceaselessly to and fro underneath, would be similar to being actually on a ship. A fitting response to the subject matter of the monument and, we believe, a unique experience for the visitor.

Placed properly, with a bearing on St.Alouran Islands beyond, and connected with a walkway to the land, our proposed monument will become a unique celebration of Matthew Flinders and his incredible achievements.

There will be no other Monument to Matthew Flinders like it in Australia, or the World.

Since the entire purpose of Flinders voyage was to survey the landmass which he personally named Australia –(over the objections of the Admiralty)  –we have taken the map of Australia itself and raised it off the ground plane of the ‘Deck’, to form a great base for the vertical sail sculpture feature.  Further, we have placed a fully functional Compass Rose, formed in stainless steel, on top of this map, which will contain a myriad of technical detail, relating to its function. The degree and complexity of detail of all the proposed, would depend on budget, but the design has a wide latitude of interpretation and implementation.

All around this assembly we will trace Flinders voyage in the paving, with visual markers set into the ground. We will use the ‘paw-prints’ of Flinders’ cat, the remarkable Trim, as an indicator of the pathway.

This Podium or monument ‘precinct’ will be approached by a cantilevered walkway out over the rocks: an experience that would not be unlike mounting a gangplank to board a ship.

The actual entrance into the monument will be through a ceremonial archway representing the metaphorical transition between two states of being: that of the everyday world and the suspended time-frame within the monument itself. Flanking each side of this entrance will be two identical archways.  The one on the right hand side will contain a dramatic 2.5m high relief bust of Matthew Flinders, cast in Fine Art Bronze and on the left, another bronze panel containing his signature and a relief artwork of his beloved cat, Trim.  The reverse face of these panels will be used for interpretive text. We chose this dramatic visualization of Finders, over producing another three dimensional statue, of which there are many.

The impact of such a powerful head and shoulders ‘relief artwork’ will express the true larger- than- life stature of the great man, himself, especially in such a large scale outdoor setting, where a life-size statue would be lost.  His lingering gaze fixes the approaching visitor about to board his ‘ship’, his expression is one of firm resolve to uncover scientific facts, above all else, including fame and fortune, as was evident from his work – and particularly evident from his own writings in his famous book:” A Voyage to Terra Australis.”

This, in fact, will be the focus of the entire monument.  Matthew Flinders and all his works are seen as if in memory, or a dream.

Of course, we must also include “Trim” his beloved and most extraordinary cat. Once again, we have avoided the obvious sculptural depiction of this famous cat by proposing something unique, redolent of his peculiar ‘personality,’ in capturing Trim at a definitive moment in time, when he first came to the attention of Matthew Flinders.  This was when Trim had fallen overboard and to the astonishment of the watching Flinders and his crew, managed to swim to a trailing rope from the ship and climb back aboard.  Flinders records this moment in his journal – (quote)

“ In playing with his little brothers and sisters upon deck by moonlight, when the ship was lying tranquilly in Harbour, the energy and elasticity of his movements sometimes carried him so far beyond his mark, that he fell overboard; but this was far from being a misfortune; he learned to swim and to have no dread of the water; and when a rope was thrown over to him, he took hold of it like a man, and ran up it like a cat. In a short time, he was able to mount up the gangway steps quicker than his master, or even than the first lieutenant.”

The design, will be developed to further to incorporate all the necessary interpretive plaques, science and educational elements which will furnish the Monument in a manner which will reward the visitor and enrich their understanding of the man who first named Australia and began his great voyage of discovery from this point on the map:

 Matthew Flinders

Joan Walsh-Smith & Charles Smith

18th April 2013.