THE digital afterlife of Perth’s “Kebab” sculpture has been deferred by Perth council.
Ore Obelisk, as it’s properly known, is a piece of public art consisting of a 15-metre oil drilling pipe fitted with 15 ore samples, representing the main mineral deposits found in Western Australia.
It was created by the late Paul Ritter and sat in Stirling Gardens from 1971 to 2021, when the council removed the sculpture after two rocks – one 60 kilos and the other 80 kilos – fell to the ground.
A structural report deemed Ore Obelisk at “the end of its life” and a $75,000 digital commemoration was proposed instead.
But public art advocacy group Save the Kebab said the digital commemoration did not carry any “material history or public presence” and could not replace the civic artwork.
Art curator and Save the Kebab member Helen Curtis said the council wanted to turn the Kebab into a “QR code” creating an augmented reality of the sculpture that would only be accessible through a phone camera.
Ms Curtis said she thought the City of Perth’s handling of the sculpture’s dismantling and proposal of augmented reality was “gross”.
“At the time, there was hundreds and thousands of dollars in arts reserve budget that the City could have utilised to repair the work… But the City of Perth CEO decided not to do that, instead chop it up in pieces,” Ms Curtis said.
Ms Curtis said the structural report the City had done did not say the sculpture needed to be removed but that it needed to be fixed.
“The report provided information on how to fix it. And it provided a quote on how to fix it… around about $120,000,” Ms Curtis said.
Save the Kebab told the Herald the artist Paul Ritter’s family have called the sculptures $75,000 digital revamp “a ridiculous idea”.
Physical connection
Former deputy lord mayor and member of Save the Kebab, Sandy Anghie, spoke at this week’s council meeting and proposed “a practical alternative that retains a physical connection to the work”.
Ms Anghie’s proposal recommends that elements of the original work, including the drill bit, be placed on permanent display in Council House, supported by further information about the monument.
“This is not a reimagining. This is about memory in physical form and commemorating a part of our city’s history.”
“You cannot replace a landmark with a website link.”
Lord mayor Bruce Reynolds said he recognised “that many in the community have a strong connection to the Ore Obelisk”.
“The City has worked closely with a Ritter family representative, who supports the deaccessioning of the work and the exploration of a contemporary digital commemoration,” Mr Reynolds said.
“The digital commemoration provides a new way to acknowledge the artwork’s legacy while ensuring public safety and reflecting contemporary approaches to public art.”
Mr Reynolds said the City did not take the removal of public artworks lightly but were required to ensure public safety and address significant deteriorations.
“When artworks are removed, they remain part of the City’s Cultural Collection and are carefully stored while their future is considered,” Mr Reynolds said.
“The City remains committed to transparency, accountability and the responsible management of its public art collection, ensuring works are safe, meaningful and accessible for current and future generations.”
He said Ore Obelisk and another removed public artwork The Arch were securely stored with the necessary controls to preserve them.
However, Save The Kebab told The Herald that Lorenna Grant’s sculpture The Arch was found in an industrial lot in South Fremantle, with its metal corroded and its structure “twisted” and “mangled up”.
by ISLA TOMLINSON