Apostle No. 2

 

On the 3rd of July 2005 the 45mtr high limestone monolith and iconic member of the so-called 12 Apostles collapsed into the Southern Ocean off the Western Coast of Victoria.The towering Apostle was one of the largest of its kind in the world and became the poster-child of a massive tourist phenomenon.

 

The collapse of this geological icon not only left behind a gaping hole in one of Australia’s most famous and familiar tourist vistas, it also brought to light the human tendency to iconise and immortalise an impermanent and forever changing environment.A play on Australia’s obsession with the ‘BIG’ icon, Apostle No.2 is a parody of this phenomenon while also reflecting a far more poignant story.

 

Since the fall of this Apostle, the world has witnessed numerous natural disasters as well as the collapse of many social, cultural, political and financial institutions. In the context of our ever-changing global environment Apostle No.2, a ghostly shell of what was, is a poignant and localised symbol of change.As Melbourne rapidly re-develops, Apostle No.2 functions as a reminder of the universal transience of our environment, both natural and built. Apostle No.2 is a monument to the ‘shock of change’ and the human psyche’s attempt to immortalise the familiar.

 

Isaac Greener and Lucas Maddock have resurrected the famous Apostle, from the 12 Apostles Tourist Site, that collapsed in 2005. Apostle No.2, a ghostly 8.2m high resin sculpture, it has been exhibited publically at McClelland Sculpture Park in 2012, was on display as part of the Melbourne Prize for Urban Sculpture exhibition at Federation Square in November  2011, has shown at the Warrnambool Art Gallery and was recently on display at Incinerator Gallery in 2014.