Reconciliation Place is an urban landscape design in the Parliamentary Triangle Canberra, Australia dedicated to reconciliation between Australia's Indigenous peoples and the mainly European settler population. Reconciliation Place was opened by Prime Minister John Howard in 2002.

Reconciliation Place

Design edit

The design of Reconciliation Place emanated from the Australian Government's open national design competition in 2001. The winning entry[1] was designed by Australian architect Simon Kringas. Sharon Payne was an Indigenous Cultural Representative. The competition jury included Ngunnawal Elder Matilda House and RAIA Gold Medal architect Richard Leplastrier. The design was chosen for its "direct and timeless qualities".[2] It is described as "one of the world’s most significant public memorials to indigenous history".[3]

The design is dominated by a convex mound – termed the 'midden' – centred on the land and water axes conceived by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin's design for Canberra. The subtle rise in elevation provides expansive views. It is an "outward looking ... contemplative space"[4] – "a nexus from which both axes can be simultaneously – and almost ethereally – experienced".[5] Linking the High Court of Australia and National Gallery to the National Library of Australia is a public promenade adorned with acutely sculpted installations called "Slivers", each displaying images and text on themes of reconciliation and intended to accrue and evolve over time.[6] Each Sliver is a fragment of the macro composition, with a consistent angular morphology, materials and a constant datum, combining to form a broad fractured landscape.

Internationally, the design of “Reconciliation Place presents a unique solution … demonstrating a long-term planning strategy for commemoration that admits the complexity, contradiction and continuity of memory. lts masterplan consists of a large number of fragmentary art work "slivers" by various designers … The artworks range from patches of landscape to primeval carved megaliths to sleek, angular assemblages of photo etched steel and glass. Visitors can take various paths among the art works, which allows for different readings. The masterplan intends that new works will continue to be added as the process of reconciliation unfolds. lndeed, the precinct's fragmentary form helps communicate the idea of an incomplete and unresolved narrative … lts form and its meanings provide an alternative to the physical, conceptual and thematic traditions and rigidities of stale commemoration”.[7]

“Both the layout and themes of this precinct contest the State's hegemony in defining the past”.[8]

Artwork edit

 
Fire and Water (2007) by Judy Watson

Artworks installed since the opening of Reconciliation Place include:

Construction edit

The construction of Reconciliation Place was limited to a total budget of AU$3.5M and a timeframe of four months for design and construction. Significant changes were made to the winning competition design by the government "National Capital Authority" responsible for managing the project. The mound height was diminished, ceramic paving intended for its surface was replaced by grass turf, and circulation directed around, rather than continuing over, the apex. Arced retaining walls embracing the mound were replaced by splayed earth berms. Later sculptures added to the promenade are autonomous installations and do not follow the concept of forming a macro landscape envisaged by the 'Slivers'. The intended tangential relationship of the ramp grade connecting to Commonwealth Place was not realised and "the view up the Commonwealth Place ramp from the lake’s edge is foreshortened and terminated".[5]

Nevertheless, Reconciliation Place has proven successful as the chosen gathering place for major public festivals and events in Canberra, and as a resting point for workers and visitors to the Parliamentary Zone. Reconciliation Place and Commonwealth Place “amplify and enhance the crystalline geometry of the Griffins’ plan … Both are design achievements of which the nation can be proud”.[5]

References edit

  1. ^ Kringas Architecture, Reconciliation Place, https://www.kringas.com/reconciliation-place
  2. ^ Design for Reconciliation Place – Jury Report, National Capital Authority, 2001.
  3. ^ Edgar, R,'He survived the plane crash that killed his mum. Then came the statue – Australian memorials', Sydney Morning Herald, 16 October 2020, https://www.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/he-survived-the-plane-crash-that-killed-his-mum-then-came-the-statue-20201008-p563b1.html
  4. ^ Kringas Architects, Design Statement, 2001.
  5. ^ a b c Vernon, Christopher (September–October 2002). "Axial Occupation". Architecture Australia. Archived from the original on 30 December 2002.
  6. ^ "Australian reconciliation". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia). Archived from the original on 11 October 2006. Retrieved 4 November 2006.
  7. ^ Stevens, Q & Franck, A, 'Memorials as Spaces of Engagement – Design, Use, Meaning', Routledge NY, 2016. https://www.routledge.com/Memorials-as-Spaces-of-Engagement-Design-Use-and-Meaning/Stevens-Franck/p/book/9780415631440
  8. ^ Stevens, Q, Masterplanning public memorials: an historical comparison of Washington, Ottawa and Canberra in Planning Perspectives, Volume 30, 2015 - Issue 1, Taylor & Francis Online, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1080/02665433.2013.874956.
  9. ^ Livingston, Paul (2007), Fire and water (day) a sculpture by Judy Watson, Reconciliation Place, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2007, retrieved 11 December 2021
  10. ^ "fire and water". UAP. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  11. ^ "Reconciliation Place: A lasting symbol of our shared journey" (PDF). Australian Federal Government. 2012.

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