Tuesday, 19 April 2011

Birchgrove, Ballast Point Park, Tank 101

"Tank 101" is both artwork and a renewable energy generator, located in the middle of Ballast Point Park at Birchgrove. It has been created to symbolise the past working history of the site as an oil refinery by Caltex. The original Tank 101, built in the 1930s, was the largest industrial storage vessel at this site, used to store crude oil for processing into lubrication oil. It was the largest tank in Australia to use rivet technology. Graphics with a dot font typeface are used throughout this site to reflect the thousands of rivets and circular tank shapes that covered the site. Panels of curved sheet steel from the old tank were rescued from the old tank and incorporated in the structure. The text is a line from "The Death of Isaac Nathan" a poem by Australian poet Les Murray: "Stone statues of ancient waves, tongue like dingoes on shore". Eight wind turbines harness the sea breeze to create energy that is used in park lighting.
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24 comments:

  1. Sylvia KTuesday, 19 April 2011 at 08:34:00 GMT+10

    What an interesting post/history for the day, Jim! Terrific capture as always! Enjoy your week!

    Sylvia

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  2. AnonymousTuesday, 19 April 2011 at 08:58:00 GMT+10

    Stones surely can become 'ballast', yet this instellation proofs it to be art.

    Impressed ! Please have you all a good Tuesday.

    daily athens

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  3. AnnTuesday, 19 April 2011 at 09:24:00 GMT+10

    That's really interesting.

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  4. RedPatTuesday, 19 April 2011 at 09:35:00 GMT+10

    Love the artistic incorporation of the wind turbines!

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  5. AndyTuesday, 19 April 2011 at 10:34:00 GMT+10

    That's an interesting scene and an excellent photo.

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  6. Kay L. DaviesTuesday, 19 April 2011 at 11:27:00 GMT+10

    Well, what are you going to do next to beat this one, Jim? It's absolutely wonderful... the idea, the art, your photo... wow!
    -- K

    Kay, Alberta, Canada
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

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  7. LewTuesday, 19 April 2011 at 11:50:00 GMT+10

    Interesting vanes on the turbines! And a great concept to incorporate art and history into a new energy source.

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  8. Photo CacheTuesday, 19 April 2011 at 11:52:00 GMT+10

    Interesting artwork.

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  9. CherryTuesday, 19 April 2011 at 11:54:00 GMT+10

    great structure and interesting info!

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  10. Sallie (FullTime-Life)Tuesday, 19 April 2011 at 12:28:00 GMT+10

    An interesting story -- I can well imagine some people who don't think they "like art" would be interested in this one too.

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  11. JimTuesday, 19 April 2011 at 12:30:00 GMT+10

    Kay L. Davies, it's certainly a challenge to keep finding new and interesting subjects to feature but I will perservere.

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  12. HazelTuesday, 19 April 2011 at 14:13:00 GMT+10

    Ballast into art - interesting. I remember Caltex ages ago.

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  13. AnonymousTuesday, 19 April 2011 at 14:50:00 GMT+10

    What a lovely sight - a sculpture that makes renewable energy.

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  14. alicesgTuesday, 19 April 2011 at 14:55:00 GMT+10

    Very interesting artwork that is useful.

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  15. IndraniTuesday, 19 April 2011 at 15:46:00 GMT+10

    Very interesting!

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  16. magiceyeTuesday, 19 April 2011 at 15:53:00 GMT+10

    recycling in its truest form!
    brilliant!

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  17. diane bTuesday, 19 April 2011 at 16:12:00 GMT+10

    That is a great way to use the old tank site. Quite ingenious.

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  18. La sonrisa de HiperionTuesday, 19 April 2011 at 17:43:00 GMT+10

    estupendas todas tus fotos. Encantador blog el tuyo, un placer haberme pasado por tu espacio.


    Saludos y un abrazo.

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  19. eileeninmdTuesday, 19 April 2011 at 19:19:00 GMT+10

    IOt is an interesting scene, great photo!

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  20. PeterTuesday, 19 April 2011 at 20:41:00 GMT+10

    That is impressive - great snap J!

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  21. RajeshTuesday, 19 April 2011 at 22:06:00 GMT+10

    Beautiful combination of artwork and energy generator.

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  22. Stewart MTuesday, 19 April 2011 at 22:07:00 GMT+10

    Just a little hint of water in the back ground - hard to believe that its in the same country as my images!

    Cheers

    Stewart M

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  23. alfonsoWednesday, 20 April 2011 at 00:48:00 GMT+10


    · I like it. It seems an interesting rest of industrial archeology. It's a great idea to revitalize those old facilities
    Good photo.

    · regards

    CR & LMA
    ________________________________
    ·

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  24. Inger-MWednesday, 20 April 2011 at 06:31:00 GMT+10

    An amazing structure, and a great photo of it!

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