A day at the Mclelland outdoor sculpture gallery in Melbourne
images and impressions by ralph klimek VK3ZZC  May 2015
copyleft, these images may only be reused for all metaphysical purposes.
copyright on the artworks belongs to their creators and the Mclelland Gallery

The Mclelland Outdoor Sculpture Park is a must see for those that love or loathe modern sculpture, situated at Frankston is a beautifull outdoor bushwalk setting. Enjoy a picnic lunch, learn about modern art, you too can become a Certified Modern Art Critic.  Explore the metaphysical dichotomy,  and underscore the surrealism of the underlying metaphor of whatever it is the skulptures are about. Become an instant internationally renowned modern Art critic !



steffy,   gets modern artthumb.imgp7664-steffy-gallery.jpg
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I foolishly attempt to take over ze vurld with this fiendish creation
this panel left existentially blank
thumb.imgp7668-gallery.jpgthumb.imgp7669-gallery.jpgThis is actually a very cunning piece of art. The hammer is real and appears to be carved of the stone which is has metaphorically broken. A true existential dichotomy
steffy gets it too !thumb.imgp7670-gallery.jpg
thumb.imgp7671-gallery.jpgtensegrity.....this inspires me to create my own piece of modern art.thumb.imgp7672-gallery.jpgthumb.imgp7673-gallery.jpg
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there are many creations here executed in stainless steel, some , like this to a mirror finish. This has only recently become possible due to the decreasing cost of the material and CAD/CAM
I would also like very much a radio mast like this at my QTH. She-who-must-be-obeyed does not share my passion texture in carved wood, very large
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this is just plain disturbingly Hitlerian and just a tad political
thumb.imgp7676-gallery.jpgI take a keen interest in  naval  history,  I see heavy gauge Naval Ordnance here.Steffy   sees the stones for what they arethumb.imgp7677-steffy-gallery.jpg
thumb.imgp7680-gallery.jpga nice  Political  work here.  Warning , here be  subversives !thumb.imgp7681-gallery.jpgthumb.imgp7682-gallery.jpg
hollow steal. massive and striking. only possible in this age of numerically controlled cutting tools. This would have been almost impossible without CAD/CAM  assistance
thumb.imgp7686-gallery.jpgIts   art, dammit,   even if it actually  IS  just a   large tub of  abatoir waste,   tastefully  executed in Bronze and steel drums
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and  thoughfully   placed near the  cafeteria   entrance.  I wonder if they serve  pies ?

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Melbournes version of Russia's infamous  Krasnoyarsk  over the horizen radar.
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This piece demonstrates that to exist as Art it requires niether purpose, form, representation or  even a meaning; as this massive piece amply demonstrates. It mocks and defies its critics by the shear fact of its creation and continued existance


this is a real work o' art.   Its  execution is  magnificent, but  disturbing in some way

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steffy gets modern art .   He really liked this. So did  I  .  

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thumb.imgp7692-gallery.jpgthis   is   superb.  A  keen   artists eye  spots a  visual  spectacular  at the  junkyard.  Steffy   really liked this one.  It actually is  visually striking !

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this image does not do due justice to the vortex
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A giant glowing amoeba. Looks nice in the dark shade.  The sad thing about modern mechatronic art is its limited lifetime when exposed to the elements

Steffy and Tristan  contemplate the  surrealism of the underlying metaphor

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I dunno, its a fiberglass shell....why ?
but wait, there is more...another daythumb.imgp7674-gallery.jpg

this cube of wire wobbles at you menacingly when twanged

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thumb.20150221_145419-gallery.jpgthumb.20150221_145434-gallery.jpgThe traffic light out of place and out of time still commands mindless obedience on a road to nowhere. The dragon warned us of bad things going on in Bjelke_Pettersans Queensland. It is actually a very striking and lifelike dragon. The torus makes me think of the ITER project. It is all in the numbers.
Warning, here be ordnance.
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The   tree of life by  Phillip Price
in my  opinion,  one of the most beautiful  dynamic  modern sculptures  I have  encountered.  It is  massive and its aesthetic and mechanical execution  must surely rank this  creation  as  a   masterpiece.  You must see this  in real life.
it moves......thumb.imgp8138-art.jpg
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thumb.imgp8144-art.jpgwho  remembers  Icarus  at  Melbourne Airport  ?thumb.imgp8145-art.jpgthumb.imgp8146-art.jpg
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OH, thats just great, so now I think I am a famous modern artiste  too, huh?
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"Nietzsche" 
or
"The Spanner of No "
mixed media, found objects, wood, perspex, chutzpah, metal, magnet and chrome-vanadium spanner. 2015




Cower, Oh, my minions, as I unveil  the modern wonder  "Nietzsche".  Inspired by my visit to the Mclleland Gallery. It now causes existential dichotomies at my place of work.  Yes it actually does levitate.  My colleagues who are a lot less pretentious than me  spontaneously renamed it to " The Spanner of No ".


Confession

I am not a modern artiste,  I am not even an artist. I am not an art critic.
I accept things and people for what they are and for the positive experience they can share with me.

The visit to the Mclelland outdoor sculpture park showed my something interesting.  I long time ago I would have
sided with the skeptics who rightfully say that this is all a load of balony and "what a pile of junk" , It is ,however,amazing what can be achieved with just a pile of junk and some chutzpah.  It takes some bravery to assert that a pile of welded bashed up junk can ever be art.  I have worked and assisted artists in my sojern at Monash University, they have shared their insights with me.  I can now reveal to you their secret.  The purpose of modern art sculpture is not technically brilliant representation of whatever it is the sculpture is about,  it is not about that causation of metaphysical rifts in the fabric of existential reality ( all thought it actually maybe so ), nor is it about the making of a fast buck. There are not many to be had in Professional Art, anyway.  It is about getting people to talk, to each other,  maybe nothing more than a embarrased cackle or a pretentious exposition about hidden meaning and political expression.  No, really, people will talk to each when confronted with something odd, pretentious, frankly foolish and just a little subversive.  It becomes a minor nexus for drawing conversation from people that would otherwise remain silent.


So, thus inspired , I created the above piece of modern art.  It is nothing more than a spanner levitated by a powerful magnet. It has created an existential dichotomy and caused my colleagues at work who are all skeptical, hard bitten, physical professional engineers to stop by my desk and gawk. And talk, about more metaphysical things, and then, maybe, a bit of shop.

I pompously declare my artwork title "Nietzsche" ( now you try spelling that !) after the completely bonkers German philosopher. Nonsence, suggest my colleagues.  After much deliberation  they self title it " The Spanner of No " .

My little work succeeded in its purpose. It caused people to stop and talk about things other than the mundane.



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