Reconciliation Place
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Reconciliation Place is an urban landscape design in the
Parliamentary Triangle The National Triangle, which is referred to as the Parliamentary Triangle, is the ceremonial precinct of Canberra, containing some of Australia's most significant buildings. The National Triangle is formed by Commonwealth, Kings and Constitutio ...
Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
dedicated to
reconciliation Reconciliation or reconcile may refer to: Accounting * Reconciliation (accounting) Arts, entertainment, and media Sculpture * ''Reconciliation'' (Josefina de Vasconcellos sculpture), a sculpture by Josefina de Vasconcellos in Coventry Cathedra ...
between Australia's Indigenous peoples and the mainly European settler population. Reconciliation Place was opened by Prime Minister John Howard in 2002.


Design

The design of Reconciliation Place emanated from the Australian Government's open national design competition in 2001. The winning entry was designed by Australian architect Simon Kringas. Sharon Payne was an Indigenous Cultural Representative. The competition jury included Ngunnawal Elder Matilda House and RAIA Gold Medal architect Richard Leplastrier. The design was chosen for its "direct and timeless qualities". It is described as "one of the world’s most significant public memorials to indigenous history". The design is dominated by a convex mound – termed the 'midden' – centred on the land and water axes conceived by
Walter Burley Griffin Walter Burley Griffin (November 24, 1876February 11, 1937) was an American architect and landscape architect. He is known for designing Canberra, Australia's capital city and the New South Wales towns of Griffith, New South Wales, Griffith and ...
and
Marion Mahony Griffin Marion Mahony Griffin (; February 14, 1871 – August 10, 1961) was an American architect and artist. She was one of the first licensed female architects in the world, and is considered an original member of the Prairie School. Her work in ...
's design for Canberra. The subtle rise in elevation provides expansive views. It is an "outward looking ... contemplative space" – "a nexus from which both axes can be simultaneously – and almost ethereally – experienced". Linking the
High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is Australia's apex court. It exercises Original jurisdiction, original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified within Constitution of Australia, Australia's Constitution. The High Court was established fol ...
and National Gallery to the
National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...
is a public promenade adorned with acutely sculpted installations called "Slivers", each displaying images and text on themes of reconciliation and intended to accrue and evolve over time. Each Sliver is a fragment of the macro composition, with a consistent angular morphology, materials and a constant datum, combining to form a broad fractured landscape. Internationally, the design of “Reconciliation Place presents a unique solution … demonstrating a long-term planning strategy for commemoration that admits the complexity, contradiction and continuity of memory. lts masterplan consists of a large number of fragmentary art work "slivers" by various designers … The artworks range from patches of landscape to primeval carved megaliths to sleek, angular assemblages of photo etched steel and glass. Visitors can take various paths among the art works, which allows for different readings. The masterplan intends that new works will continue to be added as the process of reconciliation unfolds. lndeed, the precinct's fragmentary form helps communicate the idea of an incomplete and unresolved narrative … lts form and its meanings provide an alternative to the physical, conceptual and thematic traditions and rigidities of stale commemoration”. “Both the layout and themes of this precinct contest the State's hegemony in defining the past”.


Artwork

*A welcome to
Ngunnawal The Ngunnawal people, also spelt Ngunawal, are an Aboriginal people of southern New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. Language Ngunnawal and Gundungurra are Australian Aboriginal languages from the Pama-Nyungan ...
country - an acknowledgement of the traditional owners of the land on which Reconciliation Place is being built *The 1967 referendum that amended the Australian constitution to allow the Commonwealth Government to legislate on
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...
issues *The recognition of native title rights which found that native title to land was part of Australia's
common law In law, common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law created by judges and similar quasi-judicial tribunals by virtue of being stated in written opinions."The common law is not a brooding omnipresen ...
*The contribution Indigenous people have made, and continue to make, to Australia in sport and in the defence of our nation *Indigenous leadership, depicting two great leaders —
Neville Bonner Neville Thomas Bonner AO (28 March 19225 February 1999) was an Australian politician, and the first Aboriginal Australian to become a member of the Parliament of Australia. He was appointed by the Queensland Parliament to fill a casual vacancy ...
and
Vincent Lingiari Vincent Lingiari (13 June 1908 or 1919 – 21 January 1988) was an Australian Aboriginal rights activist and member of the Gurindji people. In his early life he started as a stockman at Wave Hill Station, where the Aboriginal workers were g ...
(leader of the
Wave Hill walk-off The Wave Hill walk-off, also known as the Gurindji strike, was a walk-off and strike by 200 Gurindji stockmen, house servants and their families, starting on 23 August 1966 and lasting for seven years. It took place at Wave Hill, a cattle stati ...
) *The past practice of separating Indigenous children from their families Artworks installed since the opening of Reconciliation Place include: * Three
cast bronze Lost-wax casting (also called "investment casting", "precision casting", or ''cire perdue'' which has been adopted into English from the French, ) is the process by which a duplicate metal sculpture (often silver, gold, brass, or bronze) ...
sculptures celebrating the role of female Indigenous leadership, particularly in their contribution to
reconciliation in Australia Reconciliation in Australia is a process which officially began in 1991, focused on the improvement of race relations between the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia and the rest of the population. The Council for Aboriginal ...
through their roles in the 1967 Referendum. The artwork reflects leadership provided by Dr
Faith Bandler Faith Bandler (27 September 1918 13 February 2015; née Ida Lessing Faith Mussing) was an Australian civil rights activist of South Sea Islander and Scottish-Indian heritage. A campaigner for the rights of Indigenous Australians and South Sea ...
, Lady
Jessie Street Jessie Mary Grey, Lady Street (née Lillingston; 18 April 1889 – 2 July 1970) was an Australian diplomat, suffragette and campaigner for Indigenous Australian rights, dubbed "Red Jessie" by the media. As Australia's only female delegate to t ...
, and Evelyn Scott. *The sculpture ''Fire and Water'', created by
Judy Watson Judy Watson (born 1959) is an Australian Waanyi multi-media artist who works in print-making, painting, video and art installation, installation. Her work often examines Indigenous Australian histories, and she has received a number of high pr ...
, erected in 2007. * Three stone artworks celebrating the resilience and achievements of Indigenous Australians who made contributions to Australian life. This includes artwork celebrating Ruby Hammond, Robert Lee, Wenten Rubuntja, Bill Neidjie and Gatjil Djerrkura.


Construction

The construction of Reconciliation Place was limited to a total budget of AU$3.5M and a timeframe of four months for design and construction. Significant changes were made to the winning competition design by the government "National Capital Authority" responsible for managing the project. The mound height was diminished, ceramic paving intended for its surface was replaced by grass turf, and circulation directed around, rather than continuing over, the apex. Arced retaining walls embracing the mound were replaced by splayed earth berms. Later sculptures added to the promenade are autonomous installations and do not follow the concept of forming a macro landscape envisaged by the 'Slivers'. The intended tangential relationship of the ramp grade connecting to Commonwealth Place was not realised and "the view up the Commonwealth Place ramp from the lake’s edge is foreshortened and terminated". Nevertheless, Reconciliation Place has proven successful as the chosen gathering place for major public festivals and events in Canberra, and as a resting point for workers and visitors to the Parliamentary Zone. Reconciliation Place and Commonwealth Place “amplify and enhance the crystalline geometry of the Griffins’ plan … Both are design achievements of which the nation can be proud”.


References

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