Quentin Gore, Home – Standing Figures (installation view), 2020. Photograph: Reuben Gore.
City of Port Adelaide Enfield sought Guildhouse’s expertise in 2020 to commission new public art for the Largs Bay Jetty Road upgrade.
With the support of Guildhouse, South Australian artist Quentin Gore was selected to develop a concept that would speak to the history and future of this historic place in Largs Bay.
Quentin has created a series of four elegant black granite boat hull forms titled Vessels along with a cluster of three Standing Figures made from hardwood and stainless steel. Together these two sets of sculptures make up the artwork Home (2020).
The hulls in Home traverse the street navigating narratives concerning culture, migration and displacement. Etched onto the top surfaces of them are the 100 different countries of birthplace origin of the Port Adelaide Enfield community according to the 2016 census as well as the words of Mickey Kumatpi O’Brien, Senior Kaurna Man who worked with Quentin on the project.
This artwork celebrates the rich cultural diversity of the Port Adelaide Enfield community.
One third of residents were born overseas, according to the 2016 census. They come from more than 100 different countries.
For thousands of years the Kaurna people have maintained a continuous connection to Yartapuulti, the land and waters now known as Port Adelaide Enfield.
The song lines of this area speak of the land and waters as the place of sleep. This is a place where migrating birds stop overnight, where fish sleep in the waters when conditions are right, and where Aboriginal people are laid to rest. Aboriginal people willingly share our rich and diverse culture with all who come to this place.
