The Spirit Orb was the winning sculpture in the Eumundi Sculpture Prize 2015 where the brief was to design a sculpture commemorating the 20 soldiers lost to Eumundi in the war with themes of 'yesterday, today and tomorrow' encompassed in the work. 

 

Designed specifically with the slope in mind the Spirit Orb appears to be rolling down the hill,  frozen in time; a reflection on the young lives lost too soon. The ‘yesterday’ aspect of the theme is captured by two facets: the spherical shape of the sculpture, acknowledging the global effects of WW1 and by the 20 birds in flight, representing the spirits of the 20 Eumundi sons who sacrificed their lives. The ‘today’ aspect of the theme is also represented on two levels, firstly the energetic shape of the orb is holding close to our hearts the memories of those who died for us and our hopes that their efforts were not in vain; a daily reminder to be thankful for our freedoms. Secondly, the sculpture is designed to be climbed on, played with, admired within the beautiful ambiance of the park - representing precisely what our men were fighting for- the freedom to live in our beautiful country and pride of place. The ‘tomorrow’ is represented again on two levels: a global shape with interconnected birds, symbolising the hope for a united and peaceful world, where the freedoms of each are respected and fought for. And then by the children that will climb on the sculpture; a symbolic gesture of thanks to those that fought, indicating that they achieved what they set out to do - to give our children a better future in a more peaceful time.

The sculpture is aluminium in constraction and meets all of the stringent Australian Playground Standards making it a climbable artwork.

Collaborative Partners: The Blacksmiths Rosemount, Eumundi Historical Association, Sunshine Coast Council