2022 Folio 2: Statue Wars
Topic Group 1: Culture - Material World
What assessment are we working towards?You will be preparing a fieldwork report based on analysis of statues in Adelaide. This will be in the context of the re-examination of statues happening globally in the wake of Black Lives Matter, #MeToo and other social movements. What do statues reveal and represent in our society?
Introductory readingMichael Maguire, 'Solid citizens', SA Weekend, 13 February 2021, pp. 8-11.
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1. Statuary in Adelaide
For this task, you will be limiting your analysis to statues in a specific part of Adelaide.
However, there is of course a variety of other memorials and public art across Adelaide that we could study.
However, there is of course a variety of other memorials and public art across Adelaide that we could study.
What statues are you familiar with from the City of Adelaide CBD? |
What do you think is the purpose of memorial statues? |
Who is missing or under-represented? |
There are some subjects that dominate the statue landscape in Adelaide:
Royalty
European Explorers
Consider the representation of females in statue form around Adelaide. Is it a case of "t*ts out for the war" as one Year 9 student described it?
2. Global Debates about Statues
This has led to a reckoning about the future of some statues around the world, especially those associated with slavery, racism, and empire.
In what ways can statues be controversial? |
How can society decide what to do when concerns are raised about a statue? |
Are "statue graveyards" the answer? |
Meanwhile, new statues are being commissioned, some with the aim of redressing the balance of who is represented.
Further reading about the Australian context:
Australian Academic Journal – Special Edition Statue Wars: Protest, Public History and Problematic Plinths https://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/phrj/issue/view/489 |