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Australian Turkish Friendship Memorial Sculpture
Australian Turkish Friendship Memorial Sculpture
Melbourne, Australia
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Other Projects by Tectura Architects
Australian Turkish Friendship Memorial Sculpture
Melbourne, Australia
Firm
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2015
The Australian Turkish Friendship Memorial Sculpture, Seeds of Friendship, marks the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings and pays tribute to the extraordinary origins of this shared history. Located on Birdwood Avenue in the Kings Domain, Melbourne and in close proximity to the Shrine of Remembrance, the memorial creates a place for contemplation on the impact of war, and provides a platform for current and future generations from both cultures to reflect on the respect and friendship resulting from this story.
Four years in the making, the realisation of the sculpture was a grassroots and community-driven process. Initiated by the Turkish Sub-branch of the Victorian Returned Services League (RSL) president Ramazan Altintas, along with Serdar Baycan and Elizabeth Grigg from Tectura Architects who donated their time and effort as the project convenors, the proposal gained backing from community groups, members of State and Federal Parliament and the Victorian RSL, in particular from the State President, Major General David McLachlan AO (Retd). With the support and approval from Melbourne City Council, Matthew Harding, a Victorian artist, was commissioned to further develop his design alongside an extensive fundraising program.
The sculpture’s final form and materiality is one that is representative of the Australian-Turkish Gallipoli relationship. A sweeping 3.8 metre curve of interwoven stainless steel strands symbolises the laying of a commemorative wreath, while two hand-carved granite stone seed cones, a pine from Turkey – which is synonymous with the battlefields of Gallipoli – and the form of an Australian casuarina seed which lay side by side to represent the ‘Johnnies and Mehmets’ who fought and lost their lives. The sculpture invites tactile interaction from the public through its accessible form and scale, prompting further inquiry into the history and story of the Australian and Turkish relationship.
Four years in the making, the realisation of the sculpture was a grassroots and community-driven process. Initiated by the Turkish Sub-branch of the Victorian Returned Services League (RSL) president Ramazan Altintas, along with Serdar Baycan and Elizabeth Grigg from Tectura Architects who donated their time and effort as the project convenors, the proposal gained backing from community groups, members of State and Federal Parliament and the Victorian RSL, in particular from the State President, Major General David McLachlan AO (Retd). With the support and approval from Melbourne City Council, Matthew Harding, a Victorian artist, was commissioned to further develop his design alongside an extensive fundraising program.
The sculpture’s final form and materiality is one that is representative of the Australian-Turkish Gallipoli relationship. A sweeping 3.8 metre curve of interwoven stainless steel strands symbolises the laying of a commemorative wreath, while two hand-carved granite stone seed cones, a pine from Turkey – which is synonymous with the battlefields of Gallipoli – and the form of an Australian casuarina seed which lay side by side to represent the ‘Johnnies and Mehmets’ who fought and lost their lives. The sculpture invites tactile interaction from the public through its accessible form and scale, prompting further inquiry into the history and story of the Australian and Turkish relationship.
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