The Rotary 100 Playground Project reached two new milestones during the past week, with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Boroondara, and the presentation of the preliminary design drawings to the project consortium. Capturing the essence of the site, the exciting, unique play equipment and art work will be unlike anything seen in a playground, not just in Boroondara, but across the world!The Rotary feature captures the spirit of place and emphasises collaboration at all levels. Said designer Benjamin Gilbert: "The more people that play on the feature, the more fun they will have. It is meant to show that when people work together they can create something magnificent".
Still under development, the ideas emerging seek to capture the history and meaning of the site, while maintaining an element of fun. The upturned canoe references both the significance of the two scar trees in the Reserve to the indigenous community, while capturing the modern use of the river as a place of boating fun. The oars will move up and down irregularly as the people on the unifying rope at the base work together to move the structure. The paddles will make varying sounds as they move. The sculpture also has the abstract appearance of an elephant, so a trunk and tale have been added. It is planned that when the tail is pumped, water will emerge from somewhere in the sculpture, but from just where may be a surprise.
The Standing Committee representing the consortium of contributing clubs, Camberwell, Canterbury, Hawthorn and Glenferrie gave the thumbs up to the work done so far, and made some suggestions for enhancements which will be incorporated in the design. It is expected that final designs will be ready to share within the next few weeks, right on schedule.
To see the full design illustrations click on this link.
| A Rotary 100 Community Service Project Supported by: |  |