South Coast sculptor, Richard Moffatt, created the gigantic 5 metre diameter sphere which stands beside the Monaro Highway as a gateway sculpture for the Snowy River Shire. He used slightly curved metal beams left from the construction of Blue Cow Ski Tube in the 1980s. It has a mass of 7 tonnes. This sculpture is so large that it had to be cut into 5 pieces, taken by truck to the site, then reassembled and welded on the spot.
A smaller version of this sculpture, and many more, are scattered across the garden at Wild Brumby, Jindabyne. Richard loves to use recycled industrial metal which creates a beautiful earthy texture. We have just uploaded 7 of Richard Moffatt’s magnificent spheres photographs as an inspiration for your students. Look carefully and you will see how Richard creates a curved surface using straight lines and ones with a slight bend in them. One of his spheres is made entirely from the heads of old metal shovels, another is made from old brake discs.
How might your students create their own spheres from found materials? How will they create the curved surface? Could they cover a balloon, for example, then pop it when their sculpture is complete?