Some miss point over statue art

LAST week I launched pre-eminent Aboriginal artist Julie Gough’s Breathing Space. Julie’s work is the third installation of Crowther Reinterpreted, a public art series which is an integral part of council’s Aboriginal commitment and action plan.

Crowther’s statue in Franklin Square symbolises much ongoing anguish for the Aboriginal community, this is apparent from the extensive community feedback that helped formulate the plan.

The temporary artworks help approach a truth, taking on many perspectives on the brutal treatment of William Lanne and other aboriginal people by William Crowther.

Good artwork promotes discussion, and Julie Gough’s installation has prompted several responses.

In a Saturday Mercury article, Mr Behrakis’ denigration of the artwork and misunderstanding of its artistic value shows a lack of appreciation of what the statue of William Crowther represents to aboriginal people.

Mr Behrakis uses inflammatory language to undermine the artist, the council, and its staff.

His approach is unoriginal - the grating parroting of the term “woke” is a giveaway sign.

Criticism of this artwork has been used by Behrakis as an opportunity to rehash phrases that promote division.

There are multiple valid interpretations of this artwork, but to malign an artist and display an insensitive disregard for the important discussions of aboriginal and non-Aboriginal interactions is to be condemned.

Helen Burnet Deputy Lord Mayor

FLAGGING CHANGE

REG Watson (Mercury, September 6) helpfully reminds us that Union Jack’s place on our national flag, as adopted in 1901, is an acknowledgment of the historical origins of a new nation, after all of 130 years of colonial flag planting, invasion and dispossession. A baby step happened with our dirge of an anthem (we are one and free) and it is beyond time for our national flag to reflect at least 65,000 years of custodianship.

Nathan Duhig South Hobart

POLISHED IMAGE

What a picture (Talking Point, September 8). An artist’s impression of part of the planned new mid-town university precinct. A tasteful, subdued building, masked by mature 30 year old native shade trees. Framed by a sweeping, immaculate lawn, and bordered by a mini-lake. Native gardens, seating, sculpture and pretty young women scattered like decorations on a cake. No rubbish, rubbish bins or graffiti. A real nonsense artist’s presentation. We don’t believe it.

Let’s see the architect’s real siteplan. Then we will see how big the area devoted to a park, and where and in which direction it will be placed. The magnificent Sandy Bay Campus cannot be replicated in the CBD.

And David Bartlett’s depiction of a young Far-Northern Suburbs man who has never been to the city of Hobart, not being able to find his way to distant Sandy Bay is laughable. This kid wouldn’t qualify for tertiary education anyway. Let’s get real.

Ivan Pearson

Sandy Bay

UNDER PRESSURE

It’s reassuring to know our Premier is now well enough to resume his responsibilities as our leader. And hopefully he has returned with a renewed admiration for those within the health sector, together with a deeper understanding of how it is to be impacted physically and mentally through exhaustion.

Far too many of us who have worked in health and community services – and who continue to do so, have been impacted detrimentally from extreme workload expectations and responsibilities.

Many of us have ended up with chronic fatigue and our health compromised for the rest of our days, without having the luxury of time out to rest and recover if we remain committed to helping to bring change to our broken health system and spiritually lost society.

As Mr Gutwein has now needed to lighten his workload, for the sake of his health and wellbeing, perhaps the Premier and his government will now be more receptive to adopting a more holistic approach to dealing with health and wellbeing at the grassroots level in society, and the workload in this field being identified as being a whole of community responsibility and not one reserved solely for those endeavouring to address the issues in our overburdened hospitals and mental health and welfare sectors.

Sue Carlyon Kingston

ACT ON SALMON

RATHER than moaning about brand damage it is high time Peter Gutwein faced up to the reality of environmental damage in Tasmania due to a toxic salmon industry. The salmon industry is unsustainable, it is run for corporate greed, nothing else. Richard Flanagan writes a book and it causes the government a problem.

What about the real issues? This government could right now abandon its own salmon industry growth plan which is nothing more than a bizarre work of fiction.

This government could right now establish an Environment Protection Agency that actually protects the environment. This government could also right now establish a regulatory framework for aquaculture that ensures fish stocking densities are site specific and provide no harm to the quiet marine bays favoured by these rapacious companies.

Chris Wells Battery Point

GETS OFF SCOTT FREE

IN Thailand, crowds are rioting, demanding the resignation of their Prime Minister because they accuse him of mismanaging the supply and rollout of Covid vaccines. In Australia, our Prime Minister has mismanaged the vaccines and loses a few points in the polls. Perhaps we Australians are just too forgiving.

John Biggs Mt Nelson