A FOUR metre tall ghost gum water fountain sculpture will form a part of a long awaited bushfire memorial at the Daylesford Community Park, Hepburn Mayor Sebastian Klein has said.
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The sculpture will be completed in September.
Cr Klein said Dr Anton Hasell was chosen for the work after expressions of interest were sought in February this year.
"The functional artwork will include a four metre tall ghost gum water fountain sculpture that includes an accessible drinking fountain, which will be a welcome addition to the park located at the corner of Stanbridge and Duke Streets," Cr Klein said.
The installation will have brass gum leaves and harmonic bells. It will also include contributions of text and poetry from local writers as well the youth.
The words will be laser cut into the 'trunk' of the ghost gum.
Cr Klein said they were delighted to have an artist of Dr Hasell's calibre to work on the piece.
"He's completed works for a considerable number of other shires and city councils including the tree sculpture bushfire memorial in Bendigo," Cr Klein said.
"He is also one of the artists who worked on the famed Federation bells at Birrarung Marr in inner-city Melbourne; a sculpture that I and thousands of others have enjoyed and marvelled at — it will be exciting to see what he creates for Hepburn Shire."
The commission for this artwork involved a community consultation process.
Dr Hasell recently met with community members from the Daylesford Community Park Project Reference Group to discuss the project.
Funding for the project was received through the Community Recovery Fund, as supported by the Commonwealth Government of Australia and the Victorian Government. It was provided following the bushfires in 2009, which occurred on the Ballan-Daylesford Road and impacted communities in Daylesford, Leonards Hill, Bullarto, Wheatsheaf, Glenlyon, Lyonville and Trentham.
Out of the eight submissions received, Cr Klein said Dr Hasell's proposal was determined to be the most appropriate design by the selection panel.
"Criteria they assessed included relevance to concept and themes (drawn from community consultation), experience in designing and creating public art, functionality, timeframe, value for money, and ability to work with stakeholders," he said.
