Why is there a cow up the treetop?
No, this is not a riddle joke. No clever punch line is
expected. Nor does the answer has anything to do with a Rock-a-Bye Baby or any
road-crossing chicken.
This is a completely legitimate, sensible and precise
question to be asked in Melbourne.
You see, along the Habour Esplanade of the Docklands
precinct, there is such a cow hanging upside down on a tree in a ridiculously
laughable position. A disproportionately fat body attached to long skinny neck
and pointy little head, this Holstein-breed black and white dairy cow can be
spotted from across the entrance of the Etihad Stadium, and is a peculiar sight unable to be missed by the Docklands tram riders.
The story brings us back to the Second World War, where
an artist called William Dobell was commissioned to perform an odd task of
building fake cows to camouflage airfields. No one knows for sure if any of
those papier mache cows were actually built, nor whether the project had
successfully deceived any Japanese pilots or served any of its initial purposes.
Regardless, the absurd story captured the attention of John Kelly, and
triggered the whimsical sense of humour of this world-renowned Melbourne-based
sculptor.
After observing some photos of cattle being swept up the
tree in one of those notorious flash floods in Australia, John Kelly combined
the two distinct events and conceived this oddly hilarious vision of an
obviously fake cow being stranded on the treetop with all four legs facing upwards.
Lest there be any doubt as to the Australian-origin of the art piece, a leafless
gum tree was chosen as the subject that kept the pathetic cow entangled.
The 8-metre high, 4 tonnes bronze sculpture was first
placed in Paris, the city of love. The silly cow caused quite a sensation in
France, till a local media attributed it as the item that “puts Paris back on
modern art map”. The iconic public monument later travelled its way back to the
artist’s city, climbed its way up the gum tree, and resumed its permanently
awkward position in the branches.
Where: 131 Harbour Esplanade, Docklands VIC 3008
