Australian Angel - North Sydney, Australia
Posted by: 
BruceS
S 33° 51.031 E 151° 12.760
56H E 334644 N 6252981
Abstract sculpture given by Switzerland to New South Wales as a contribution for the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Waymark Code: WMFRZ5
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Date Posted: 11/25/2012
Views: 22
From attached plaques:
Australian Angel
Bernard Luginbühl, Switzerland, 2000
Born: Bern, Switzerland 1929
This work was created specially for a major exhibition of sculpture and graphic art by the Luginbühl family of five artists. The exhibition was the Swiss cultural contribution to the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Constructed from discarded steel objects from industry, the Australian Angel is a messenger who brings greetings and good wishes from the people of Switzerland. (Angel derives from the Greek Angelos, meaning messenger). The Australian Angel welcomes and farewells the vessels entering and leaving Sydney Harbour.
The Australian Angel was accepted as a gift to the people of New South Wales on 14 December 2000 by The Hon. John Murray MP, Speaker of the Mew South Wales Parliament, in the presence of Heinz Wey, Consul General of Switzerland, Genia McCaffery, Major of North Sydney, Paul Frischknecht, President of the Swiss Australian Cultural Association and representative of the Swiss Australian Community of Sydney.
Each part of the sculpture has some historic relationship to this location. The Olympic rings are coil springs from an old locomotive: this section of the foreshore included a tram/train/ferry terminal before the Harbour Bridge was built. The Anchors are reminders of how sea transport played an important role in the development of Australia.
Straight edges used in the steel industry for cutting steel sheets form the wings, which depict the letter A, referring to the initials for Australian Angel. The cast iron balcony bracket, from a demolition site in Switzerland, relates to the many Georgian and Victorian buildings removed to make way for the Harbour Bridge.
The six million rivets used in constructing the Harbour Bridge are represented by the bent sheet metal with similar rivets from an old bridge in Switzerland. Spanners symbolise the expertise of the trades and their contribution to technical advancement. The cannon ball is testimony to the methods of imperial expansion.
The flag indicates the Swiss origin of the Australian Angel. The cross, representing Christianity, has benn the national emblem of Switzerland since the birth of the Swiss Confederation in 1291.