Australians love big things. We have the big pineapple, the big banana, the big prawn – and now we have … the big hose.
A new commission by artists Tony Albert (Brisbane, Girramay/ Yidinyji/ Kuku Yalanji peoples) and Nell (Sydney), The Big Hose will now be a permanent addition to the banks of the Brisbane River, inviting play and learning while you wait for you latte or toastie
The 119 metre-long garden hose is located at Kurilpa Point – a traditional meeting and trading place for the region’s Turrbal and Yaggera peoples – and what Director of the Gallery, Chris Saines describes as GOMA’s ‘front yard’.
The commission’s been developed in collaboration with the Children’s Art Centre and sits outside the gallery’s refurbished GOMA Bistro, and resembles both a diamond patterned python and the iconic domestic garden hose.
The timing of the sculpture’s unveiling is perfect with spring, as the city awakens after the winter months, and school holidays kick off.
The Big Hose: Tony Albert
Artist Tony Albert explains that the sculpture’s location on the edge of the Brisbane River (Maiwar), is also home to the native water rat – the Story Place of Kuril.
‘Audiences will discover Kuril nestled in the end of the hose attachment – an urban substitute for his native burrow,’ adds Albert.
‘The country the artwork sits on, the land between the Brisbane River and GOMA, represents a gateway between these two worlds. Many children will not have heard of Kuril, and one of the central ideas about the work is creating greater awareness of the thousands of years of Indigenous history of this site, Kurilpa.’
Learning also comes in terms of the environment, says Nell. ‘Visitors may notice there is no tap attached to the hose, rather, the illusion of water is conveyed by the form of the hose, prompting the young viewer to ask where the water comes from.’
The Big Hose is on permanent display outside GOMA, and was Fabricated by UAP Foundry in Brisbane.
