Another example of neglect by the Sun Kings of Townsville is the above Magnetic Island striking work of art , Eye to the Sky , featuring birds in flight , with a fancy twin sun dial , supposed to be lit at night by stored solar power . Well, that was the situation when it was constructed in 2010 at a cost of about $180,000 for the Office of Clean Energy , Queensland State Government .
Now , in the words of the wailing song, the sun don't shine anymore , some of the birds are bent and twisted , the electrical wiring for the lighting system is broken , parts lying about . And to top it off , all the birds are showing signs of rust , corrosion .
The spectacular dome was designed by artist Malcolm Chalcroft, of Sydney . Google Eye on the Sky and up comes a glowing , dazzling account of the artwork , the component parts , the involvement of Townsville and the Magnetic Island community in its evolution :
Eye to the Sky commemorates the Townsville, and specifically the Magnetic Island, community and its engagement with the national Solar City Project. The artwork responds to themes of connection, transformation and dissemination. The artwork is interwoven with motifs that reference the rich ecology of Magnetic Island from the sea to the sky. The two arches that form the dome are set to the 19° latitude of the site.
The equatorial sundial in the northern half of the dome tells the time in Summer when the Earth’s southern hemisphere is closer to the Sun. The sundial in the southern half of the dome tells the time in Winter. At the time of the equinox, as the Sun crosses the equator, time appears to ‘switch’ between the two sundials. The play of shadow during the day, including the mapping of time through the integrated sundial, and the LED lighting during the night give the artwork a day and night presence. It can be used as a visual marker from the ferry as well as being appreciated from within the dome itself and the park in which it sits. The Magnetic Island community embraced and assisted with the development of this artwork and young people from the community participated in workshops with the artist contributing to the inground paving elements.
The situation now
On a dark and stormy night, any ferry trying to get its bearing from the blacked out Eye on the Sky could end up like the wreck of the Hesperus . The dome is not far from the helicopter emergency medical landing pad in the Presto Broadwalk. If ever anything requires emergency treatment it is this neglected item on Magnetic.
|
|---|
|
|---|
