“Rio has Cristo Redentor. Sydney has… Dave.”
Sydney October 2016 (14 photos)
Sculpture by the Sea is back for 2016, now in its 20th year. There are 104 sculptures by 103 artists from 17 different countries this year. Originally a one day exhibition in 1997, this year Sculpture by the Sea runs from 20 October to 7 November. During this time, the 2 km coastal walk from Tamarama Beach to Bondi Beach will play host to thousands of people daily. It is estimated that approximately 500,000 people visited the exhibition in 2014.
DAVE, by Cathyann Coady.
Statement: “Dave” is ‘in-between’ on the spectrum. With outstretched arms, he embraces his truth, raising the question of whether contemporary society has the foresight to live in harmony with the diversity of people that inhabit it.
Dave seems to be one of the favourites of this year’s event.
…
“Magic Carpet Ride”
CONCRETE CARPET, by Alice McAuliffe.
Statement: Carpet design rendered onto concrete (or rock in this case) by a high pressure water cleaner creates a contrast between the opulent design and the utilitarian footpath.
…
“When you live underneath the radar, there’s no way that you’re ever gonna get far”
SIGNED, by Jonathan Leahey.
Statement: Signed represents the cynical reality that leaves little room for simple and spontaneous creativity.
…
“H2O, the building block of life”
MEMORY LANE, by Fiona Kemp.
Statement: Like the ocean, we are a body of water, and water, a basic building block of life, permeates our collective memory; a lap lane of memory.
…
“A shiny bag of tricks”
TRAVELLING BAG, by Yumin Jing.
Statement: Expresses the idea of ‘moving art’. It uses ‘moving’ art language to show the artist’s enthusiasm and expectation of the city.
…
“The remains of the day”
EMBRACE, by Geoffrey Bartlett.
Statement: Represents the embrace of two disparate but dependant forces”
…
The sun shines east. The sun shines west
But I know where the sun shines best
This is Part 1 of my 5 part Sculpture by the Sea Bondi 2016 series. Please click the link to see my previous yearly Sculpture by the Sea Bondi series going back to 2013.
Etcetera Etcetera Etcetera 
Love the Dave sculpture 🙂
Isn’t he great? People liked imitating him and hugging/touching him. A sight to see. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Dave is very impressive.
There’s definitely an aura. I think it’s called “Kavorca” or “the lure of the animal.” 🙂 🙂 🙂
Dave, Dave…what would HAL say?
Daisy, daisy, give me your answer do …
Love Dave, and hope to see your next parts of the series…
Interesting and beautiful!
Thank you. There are a few interesting ones this year.
Wonderful how you shot Dave in the day and then later as the sun was going down. He certainly rubs off the notions of truth and freedom – and purity and vulnerability – as you mentioned, and there is some religious connotation there too. To Dave, anything is possible even when you faced headlong with forces unthinkable.
Traveling bag – does true beauty lie in a bag of shopping? Well, maybe. Maybe not.
Looking forward to the other four posts in the series 🙂
Thanks. It’s good to experiment with the light but it was the other way round. Those last shots are from about 6am (The sun rises over the Pacific Ocean here) and the other shots are from later. Dave is very much open to interpretation, which is a good thing.
Regarding the bag, for some the beauty lies in shopping. For others it is the bag itself.
Dave was very impressive! But I’m a sucker for that shiny bag!!
Yes, those shiny bags have a way of lighting up the eye. 🙂
I love the shiny bag! Great pictures, as always.
Thank you. The surprise is the flowery bouquet inside. It has a nice message.
I look forward to seeing these every year! Your shots are all great. I was fascinated by the ‘carpet’ in the rocks.
Thank you. Should I ever get my driveway cleaned, I might have an idea or two about what to do and what design I like. 🙂
The shiny bag is great but Dave????? That’s one we’ll leave alone…
He He He. Dave grows on you after a while. 🙂
That’s quite alright…he can grow on someone else. I’m heading straight for the shiny bag 🙂
LOL 🙂
20 years is a long time! Some of it’s ingenious. I think I’d like to be under the radar. 🙂
These festivals seem to take on a life of their own. Under the radar is a good place to be. 🙂
Yay!!! The one I was waiting for 😉 No wonder Dave is popular 😀
Thanks. It always draws out the photographers. And it’s a good day out. More to come. 🙂
What a great idea, that Dave. He is great in this world, where only young and beautiful are accepted, and the truth is that most of us are daves.
Bondi beach is very well known here in Finland, we watched years Bondi Rescue TV series.
True, and that’s probably why Dave is popular.
Funny, I’ve never watched Bondi Rescue and hardly ever go to Bondi, except for this yearly sculpture festival. I guess it just seems so familiar to me anyway. 🙂
Dave is great, but I would want the shiny bag in my own gardens. Create a diversion, I’ll slip in and “liberate” it. 🙂
(Fair warning: I have a whole Dragon post coming soon. Do not want you to freak out in the event you recognize your dear aunt Mildred or Uncle Tony in any of the shots.)
It’s a great idea and I think it would look great in many a garden. I saw a few people “sizing” it up. 🙂
Thanks for the warning. Us dragons will be waiting in anticipation.
Hey…thought the family should know.
Very considerate of you.
Dave sculpture is extraordinary, great captures! I really like the “remains of the day” shot.
Looking forward to the 2016 series here. Thank you so much, Dragon! 🙂
Thanks, Amy. Quite a varied selection this year. Something for everyone. Have a great weekend ahead.
I’m really sad to be missing the exhibition this year, so I’m devouring your images. I can see that Dave is going to be one of the “iconic” exhibits and am not surprised he’s attracting a lot of selfie attention. I do so love the shiny bag too.
Thanks. I went on the first day and could sense the crowd was larger than on the first day of last year’s event. I suppose that’s a natural progression. Despite that, I enjoy the day out.
It is an amazing exhibition; a real diversity of work in a fabulous location. I struggled a bit with the weekend crowds last year but was only in Sydney for a short time so had to grin and bear it. Definitely worth it, and from the images I’ve seen of this year’s — even more so,now.
I try to avoid weekends but weekdays often means tolerating multiple school groups. Actually the best time is dawn when there are fewer people, better light and I can go to Bondi for brunch afterwards. 🙂
Yes! I can imagine that early morning on the walkway would be magical. And who’d say no to breakfast in Bondi 🙂
Exactly. 🙂
Is Dave a sumo wrestler? In his case there’s not many places where the sun don’t shine! “]
LOL. 🙂 🙂 🙂
I totally love Dave! Try looking at him without smiling; he’s ace! And fantastic shots of the handbag. I am glad you put in the photo with the people looking on for perspective, otherwise it would have looked like a normal size handbag; especially in the photo with the Bondi Pavilion behind it.
There were a lot of people taking selfies with Dave. 🙂
Perspective – that was the exact reason I included that photo.
questo signor Dave dalla grande pancia sembra voler racchiudere fra le sue braccia tutte le “diversità ” del mondo, una galassia infinita di esseri e cose, che sembrano potersi raccogliere nei suoi pensieri, la sua immagine che si sfuma nel tramonto è un colpo eccezionale, le altre foto sottolineano una grande creatività che impone le cose semplici , quotidiane
sempre felice di seguire le tue immagini e parole
felice giorno
Grazie mille. Dave ci ricorda chi siamo e come dovremmo essere.
As usual, I love your take on the sculptures !
Thank you very much. I’m always looking for a different angle/perspective.
Of course you do 😀 What a fabulous series, Draco!
Thank you so much, Paula. I always enjoy this outdoors exhibition, although I still have a bit of sunburn as a reminder. 🙂
I am surprised no one has picked up on the fact Dave is Biggus. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Very astute. Some things are noticed only by those in the know. 🙂
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Love that first shot of Dave with all his ‘attendants’. And that ‘Travelling Bag’ is a superb piece of art and well captured. These outdoor installations are coming ever more popular and they are a great idea as they get people involved – getting them up-close with high quality sculptural art.
Yes, and it brings out the inner photographer in a lot of people. 🙂
These are just magnificent, Lignum!
I especially love “Magic Carpet,” and “Traveling Bag.”
I think they are just beautiful.
Thank you so much for sharing these here.
Have a wonderful week.
Thanks, Lisa. There’s a lot of creativity on display, as usual. Have a great week ahead, too.
It never ceases to amaze me how many clever people there are. Love your work Mr Draco 😃
That’s for sure, Julie. Thank you very much. 🙂
A stunning set Lignum, adore the magical light surrounding Dave, you put him absolutely in his element!
… where he belongs. 🙂
I love this annual series. Thanks!
Thanks very much, Robin.
Loved this cute and informative post aka Dave rocks! Thanks for sharing; you rock too 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks.
Great photos Draco! I can see why Dave is a favourite, but mine here is the Travelling Bag. Can’t wait to see the rest of your series.
You’re welcome. Did you go this year?
Unfortunately I didn’t attend so I’ll have to live vicariously through your photos. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Happy to share. 🙂
So happy you’re sharing this again! I’ve saved your posts to date and plan on spending my evening with your blog! Still on my bucket list for “someday.”
My pleasure to bring this to you, until you get to see it yourself. 🙂
Some really wonderful pictures here you’ve taken.. very striking indeed!! 🙂 Dave is an interesting one. Perhaps I notice that one in a slightly personal way. I have a cousin called Dave, he suffers terribly from schizophrenia, and is in a pretty bad shape physically too. The sculpture reminds me of him, not just the physical shape he’s in these days, but the isolation that anyone with scary mental illnesses must find themselves in, society doesn’t wish to accept them, and it is hard when someone is so different from everyone around them. Strange how a sculpture the other side of the world can connect to were another person is. I like the arms outstretched – it’s like it’s saying “is there anyone who will love me?” And the answer will probably be silent, I would imagine! :o/
The travelling bag is fascinating, and bizarre to see that on the rocks next to water! And the plants… haha, amazing idea! 😀
Thank you very much, Suzy. Reading about your cousin, I could easily picture him based upon the sculpture and your comment. I think it is true for a lot of people with mental disease and other isolating disease and illness. It can become very personal when you add a face to it.
I wonder if carrying a small plant could become a fashion statement or similar atsome time in the future? After all, who could ever have imagined in the past that carrying a water bottle could be so popular today.
Yes, phones and water bottles in hands should be the paintings and photography of the future representing this era. If anyone had suggested that in the 70’s – they would have sounded quite mad!! 😀
And don’t forget those people you see on the streets wearing face masks. 🙂