‘Wings of Spirit’, a sculpture by Terrance Plowright of Terrance Plowright Fine Arts , celebrates the life-sustaining gift of water. In times of drought, in the world’s driest continent, what could be more relevant?
The sculpture was commissioned by Lend Lease for the Water Gallery complex in Twin Towers on the Sunshine Coast. It took Plowright two and a half years to create and contains four tonnes of stainless steel. Its 220 component pieces are welded together and it stands 6m tall.
Understandably, moving the sculpture from the studio to its position was a feat in itself. It took four hours to remove it from the studio and two cranes were needed to get it off the truck which transported it to the Sunshine Coast.
The initial inspiration for the sculpture came from sketches Plowright had made for an earlier project for a church in Sydney. The community and stakeholders were consulted and, from there, ‘Wings of Spirit’ developed and took shape.
The sculpture features a chalice enclosed by wings. The wings represent the spiritual. They enclose and protect the chalice which holds that which gives and sustains life – water. The chalice is not necessarily meant as a Christian symbol and the piece can be seen as a celebration of water and life.
The sculpture has received an overwhelming positive response from Water Gallery residents.
