"Coming and Going" is a stainless steel sculpture created by Sasha Reid in 2006, which depicts a chain of paper dolls and commemorates child migrants. It has been installed in an area behind the Australian National Maritime Museum in the inner city suburb of Pyrmont, where visiting school groups often gather. The plaque reads: This memorial is dedicated to the child migrants from the United Kingdom and Malta who had to leave their families and country of birth during the years 1912-1967. After arriving by ship, these children faced an unknown future in New South Wales. Many endured personal hardships, some experienced great suffering. They and their families have made and continue to make a valuable contribution to their communities and to Australia.
Linked to: Weekend Reflections
I am continually impressed by the wealth of public art in Sydney. This one isn't among my favorites, but I certainly applaud the people of Sydney for supporting artists.
ReplyDeleteVery cool sculpture! Well spotted reflections.
ReplyDeleteI love this cute sculpture, and also the angle of the sun when you took the picture: full shadow vs (almost) no shadow.
ReplyDeleteOf course, the subject matter is not exactly cute, pretty sad really, and worth reflecting upon.
Beautiful public art in Sydney.
ReplyDeleteHow sweet to have a memorial just for child immigrants. Lovely sculpture too.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen this one, is it reasonably new? Been a while since I was round the Maritime Museum.
ReplyDeleteAnn, apparently it was unveiled in 2006 but I only discovered it myself recently on one of my walks around Darling Harbour.
ReplyDeleteWonder what the story is behind children migrating to Australia?
ReplyDeleteLooking at it from an artist viewpoint, I wonder if it was the artist's purpose to let the children go over into the bricks without a clear boundary...
Hi Jim,
ReplyDeleteWere you a soldier? Did you fight in Afghanistan?
Australia has a lot of lighthouses. We saw a big one in South Port.
Jeannette, a lot of those children were escaping war torn Europe.
ReplyDeleteAnn, no I wasn't and I didn't. I have been to your war memorial in Auckland.
I love that "paper family"
ReplyDeleteBest regards
Very nice picture and an intriguing history and cultural lesson.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful sculpture! Wish we had one in our nearby park like that!
ReplyDeleteI loved this sculpture!
ReplyDeleteKisses.
Art created from sheet metal is currently enjoying some popularity. I took photos of some local Tulsa examples and thought I had posted them but can't find them now. I need to do that. The media seems to lend itself to things whimsical.
ReplyDeleteWhat a happy reflection !
ReplyDeleteGreat eye!
ReplyDeleteHow I love that sculpture.
ReplyDeleteJust see the shadows. A perfect shot for my shadowy meme.
Thanks for sharing your tour in Sydney & I appreciate the knowledge given.
Happy week-end, mate!
Cheers,
/chie
Very moving.
ReplyDeleteThere is something special about us countries built by immigrants.