Go back in time to the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Fountain
We acquire a look again at a missing but not overlooked Brisbane landmark — The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Fountain — nonetheless the installation of a fountain in the Brisbane River in entrance of the Queensland Artwork Gallery was not aspect of the authentic ideas for the Queensland Cultural Centre.
When the Queensland Federal government turned aware that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was to stop by the condition in 1977 as part of her Jubilee celebrations, the Authorities was eager to have her take a look at the Cultural Centre web page even nevertheless only preliminary website works would have been completed.
Queensland Cultural Centre model
It was considered that the Queen would be hesitant to just lay a foundation stone at the web site of the foreseeable future art gallery, so Cultural Centre architect Robin Gibson proposed a big fountain in the river in time for the Queen’s go to. Queen Elizabeth II activated the Jubilee Fountain on 11 March 1977 and laid the Basis Stone just before a group of formal guests and the general public, surrounded by a flotilla of pleasure craft.
The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Fountain celebrations
Silver Jubilee Fountain
The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Fountain was designed as a tetrahedron, a pyramid of 3 triangles of equal proportions, that sat earlier mentioned the drinking water line with 30 substantial concealed pipes that shot water large into the air, and at night it lit up the town skyline with more than 90 lights.
The Jubilee Fountain grew to become a Brisbane landmark and marked the posture of the future permanent dwelling of the Queensland Art Gallery right until its opening some 5 a long time later on. The partnership of the Brisbane River to the Gallery was reinforced with drinking water elements within just its interior, furnishing both equally a physical link and serving as a parallel reflection of the river. When the Gallery opened at South Financial institution on 21 June 1982, the most outstanding and placing attribute of the inside was its central Watermall, a perfect companion to the exterior river fountain.
The Watermall also prolonged past the Gallery’s inside from five cast bronze Pelicans by Queensland sculptors Leonard and Kathleen Shillam from the jap-aspect to the Dandelion Fountains created by modern fountain designer Robert Woodward (recognised for his fountain at Kings Cross in Sydney) by means of to the Gallery’s Sculpture Courtyard pond and waterfall to the west.
The Fountain malfunctioned continually, the pumps acquiring to not only contend with the river’s tidal estuary and brackish drinking water, but the sand and mud silt flowing by means of the river. Sadly Brisbane’s distinctive landmark in entrance of the Queensland Artwork Gallery was only appreciated for a different three yrs after the Gallery’s opening right before it was decommissioned in 1985.
DELVE Deeper: The heritage of the Queensland Artwork Gallery
https://www.youtube.com/view?v=sVWjlOvWKAw
Further analysis and supplementary materials by Elliott Murray, Senior Electronic Marketing Officer, QAGOMA, sourced from the QAGOMA Research Library Unique Collections.
Featured graphic: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II all through the Silver Jubilee take a look at which marked the completion of the preliminary development of the website, 11 March 1977 / Impression courtesy: Sunday Mail, Brisbane
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