Go back in time to the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Fountain
We just take a look back at a lost but not forgotten Brisbane landmark — The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Fountain — even so the installation of a fountain in the Brisbane River in front of the Queensland Artwork Gallery was not element of the initial ideas for the Queensland Cultural Centre.
When the Queensland Authorities grew to become mindful that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was to pay a visit to the state in 1977 as portion of her Jubilee celebrations, the Authorities was keen to have her take a look at the Cultural Centre web-site even however only preliminary internet site performs would have been done.
Queensland Cultural Centre product
It was thought that the Queen would be reluctant to just lay a foundation stone at the internet site of the long term artwork gallery, so Cultural Centre architect Robin Gibson proposed a significant fountain in the river in time for the Queen’s stop by. Queen Elizabeth II activated the Jubilee Fountain on 11 March 1977 and laid the Foundation Stone right before a crowd of official guests and the community, surrounded by a flotilla of enjoyment craft.
The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Fountain celebrations
Silver Jubilee Fountain
The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Fountain was intended as a tetrahedron, a pyramid of 3 triangles of equal dimensions, that sat over the drinking water line with 30 substantial concealed pipes that shot water large into the air, and at night time it lit up the city skyline with additional than 90 lights.
The Jubilee Fountain grew to become a Brisbane landmark and marked the position of the long term long term home of the Queensland Artwork Gallery until eventually its opening some five several years later on. The connection of the Brisbane River to the Gallery was strengthened with water things inside its interior, furnishing both of those a actual physical link and serving as a parallel reflection of the river. When the Gallery opened at South Bank on 21 June 1982, the most outstanding and hanging feature of the interior was its central Watermall, a great companion to the exterior river fountain.
The Watermall also extended beyond the Gallery’s inside from five solid bronze Pelicans by Queensland sculptors Leonard and Kathleen Shillam from the japanese-aspect to the Dandelion Fountains developed by impressive fountain designer Robert Woodward (regarded for his fountain at Kings Cross in Sydney) through to the Gallery’s Sculpture Courtyard pond and waterfall to the west.
The Fountain malfunctioned continually, the pumps having to not only contend with the river’s tidal estuary and brackish water, but the sand and mud silt flowing by the river. Regretably Brisbane’s distinctive landmark in front of the Queensland Artwork Gallery was only liked for one more three several years just after the Gallery’s opening prior to it was decommissioned in 1985.
DELVE Further: The historical past of the Queensland Artwork Gallery
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Added investigate and supplementary content by Elliott Murray, Senior Digital Advertising and marketing Officer, QAGOMA, sourced from the QAGOMA Investigation Library Specific Collections.
Featured graphic: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II throughout the Silver Jubilee pay a visit to which marked the completion of the preliminary development of the web-site, 11 March 1977 / Graphic courtesy: Sunday Mail, Brisbane
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