When Artist Yanni Pounartzis was designing his chip-loving magpie sculpture to command Canberra’s CBD, he never expected it to be recognised as one of Australia’s “big things”.
Australia’s love of giant outdoor sculptures has seen hundreds of big things pop up in regional towns and along highways across the nation since the 1960s.
And just 18 months after landing in the capital, Big Swoop has been recognised as one of the nation’s top 10 big things in a new Royal Australian Mint coin series.
“I’m in disbelief. He [Big Swoop] won’t go away, and he won’t stop receiving attention,” Pounartzis said.
“It was just an idea, a funny, ironic idea.
“When you release an idea to the community, then they decide what it becomes, so that’s been really nice to see where he’s ended up.”
The commemorative $1 coins released by the mint also celebrate Woombye’s The Big Pineapple (Qld), Coffs Harbour’s The Big Banana (NSW), Muswellbrook’s Big Blue Heeler (NSW), Dadswell Bridge’s Giant Koala (Vic), Swan Hill’s Giant Murray Cod (Vic), Mole Creek’s Big Tasmanian Devil (Tas), Kingston’s The Big Lobster (SA), Wagin’s Giant Ram (WA), and Wak Wak’s Big Jumping Crocodile (NT).
Big Swoop is also one of five big sculptures to feature on new $1.20 stamps from Australia Post.
Pounartzis said Big Swoop “became iconic overnight” after being vandalised within hours of its unveiling in Garema Place last year.
“People were really upset about that … so there was a lot of support and when he came back — people were very pleased about that,” he said.
“He’s developed a bit of a character, people love him, he won’t go away.”
Big things here to stay
Big things have long been a way for regional towns to pay tribute to their local industry, history or native fauna, and put themselves on the map.
And many Australians can recall childhood road trips featuring some of the supersized kitsch icons.
“People have these beautiful memories that they’ve made at big things Australia wide, they’ve gone as tourists, as families, they’ve built those stories together,” Amy Clarke, lecturer in history at Sunshine Coast University said.
While Australia’s fascination with some of the novelty attractions has faded over time, Ms Clarke said the uniqueness of big things meant new ones were still going up.
“Big things … are something that are familiar, comfortable, childlike, nostalgic,” she said.
“You can feel special with big things; it’s a special out-of-everyday-life sort of experience.”
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