"Public art and architecture encapsulates a fundamental relationship between those who commission works, the artist, the artwork and the audience."
"Public art and architecture encapsulates a fundamental relationship between those who commission works, the artist, the artwork and the audience."
The relationships between artist, artwork and audience are evident and significant in the study of any artwork. This interrelationship is particularly prominent in an examination of architecture and public art, as the artists of the works in question have undoubtedly created the artwork with audience and world in mind, more so than in other types of art. This increased awareness of the audience and world highlights the significance of the connections of the conceptual framework.
The Cenotaph inscribed "To Our Glorious Dead" and "Lest We Forget" is situated in Martin Place, the centre of Sydney's CBD. The New South Wales state government's Premier Lang commissioned the 'empty tomb' after a request from the Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League of New South Wales. The Cenotaph was to be erected in 1926, and completed in 1929. The designer of The Cenotaph was Sir Bertram Mackennal, a sculptor born in 1863 in Melbourne, and the first Australian to be knighted. The construction of such a monument occurred as a memorial to the soldiers who fought and died for Australia during World War I. Thus the placement of the memorial is significant, as Martin Place was not only considered the "heart of the nation"1, but was also the site where many soldiers had enlisted in the army. As well as serving the function of a memorial to lost soldiers, The Cenotaph continues to exist as a reminder of the war and its consequences, to its audience, which is the general public. The construction of the monument was completed in two stages: the official dedication was held on the 8 August 1927, however the bronze statues of a sailor and a soldier were not placed until 1929.
The positioning of The Cenotaph in one of the most central locations in Sydney was intentional. Besides the direct relevance which the site held, in relation to the servicemen and women, Martin Place is an extremely busy area of the city allowing the monument to have greater coverage and reception then if it had been placed on a more secluded site. At the time of construction, the audience reception of The Cenotaph would have been different to that which it receives today. Being built only ten years after the conclusion of World War I, the effect of such a large statue on a late 1920's or 30's audience would have served as a painful reminder of the dreadfulness of the war, while inspiring a sense of national pride and thankfulness towards the soldiers. The public received The Cenotaph with varied opinions, the strongest of which came from graphic designer George Patterson, "The memorial 'lacks nobility and pathos' and 'implores the passing tribute of a sigh'"2. There had been controversy over the placement, design, meaning, and use of figures, however The Cenotaph remains as it was created, for today's audience to receive it. The response given to the memorial at present is less emphatic. Many people pass The Cenotaph each day without paying it any attention, however much of the modern audience grant the monument and the lives that it represents, with due respect.
The relationships between artist, artwork and audience are evident and significant in the study of any artwork. This interrelationship is particularly prominent in an examination of architecture and public art, as the artists of the works in question have undoubtedly created the artwork with audience and world in mind, more so than in other types of art. This increased awareness of the audience and world highlights the significance of the connections of the conceptual framework.
The Cenotaph inscribed "To Our Glorious Dead" and "Lest We Forget" is situated in Martin Place, the centre of Sydney's CBD. The New South Wales state government's Premier Lang commissioned the 'empty tomb' after a request from the Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League of New South Wales. The Cenotaph was to be erected in 1926, and completed in 1929. The designer of The Cenotaph was Sir Bertram Mackennal, a sculptor born in 1863 in Melbourne, and the first Australian to be knighted. The construction of such a monument occurred as a memorial to the soldiers who fought and died for Australia during World War I. Thus the placement of the memorial is significant, as Martin Place was not only considered the "heart of the nation"1, but was also the site where many soldiers had enlisted in the army. As well as serving the function of a memorial to lost soldiers, The Cenotaph continues to exist as a reminder of the war and its consequences, to its audience, which is the general public. The construction of the monument was completed in two stages: the official dedication was held on the 8 August 1927, however the bronze statues of a sailor and a soldier were not placed until 1929.
The positioning of The Cenotaph in one of the most central locations in Sydney was intentional. Besides the direct relevance which the site held, in relation to the servicemen and women, Martin Place is an extremely busy area of the city allowing the monument to have greater coverage and reception then if it had been placed on a more secluded site. At the time of construction, the audience reception of The Cenotaph would have been different to that which it receives today. Being built only ten years after the conclusion of World War I, the effect of such a large statue on a late 1920's or 30's audience would have served as a painful reminder of the dreadfulness of the war, while inspiring a sense of national pride and thankfulness towards the soldiers. The public received The Cenotaph with varied opinions, the strongest of which came from graphic designer George Patterson, "The memorial 'lacks nobility and pathos' and 'implores the passing tribute of a sigh'"2. There had been controversy over the placement, design, meaning, and use of figures, however The Cenotaph remains as it was created, for today's audience to receive it. The response given to the memorial at present is less emphatic. Many people pass The Cenotaph each day without paying it any attention, however much of the modern audience grant the monument and the lives that it represents, with due respect.
