WHAT IS THE FEATURE?
The feature that I have chosen is the red and white striped poles.
WHAT DOES IT REFERENCE?
These are meant to represent at least two things: (a) Surveyor's striped poles - surveyors cut much of Australia up into small blocks or farms, which was a very different concept to Aboriginal ownership of the land where it belongs to everyone & everyone belongs to the land.
(b) The Australian Artist Jeffery Smart's art work which was urban images filled with geometric shapes such as the surveyors poles (see image above)
WHY DOES IT APPEAL TO ME?
I am a big fan of Jeffery Smart's work, but also because my great great grandfather was one of the original surveyors in NSW in the mid-1800s. It makes me feel that he is represented here, BUT of course he didn't understand the Aboriginal concept of land ownership. (Does it make me feel ashamed of him, you may ask....No it doesn't!)
WHY DOES RICHARD WHEELER INCLUDE IT IN THE GOAD AT THE NMA?
Because of the differences between the Aboriginal and European concepts of land ownership. The GOAD is filled with differences between the two types of cultures.
WHY IS THE GOAD CONSIDERED 'POSTMODERN' LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE?
The GOAD is a complex representation of historical events and is a social commentary of Australia with particular emphasis on the differences between Aboriginal and European settlement, 60,000 and 200 years ago respectively. It is very postmodern in its concept - diverse, complex, has cultural interest and is a revaluation of the western culture.
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