Reconciliation Place is an urban landscape design in the Parliamentary Triangle Canberra, Australia dedicated to reconciliation between Australia's Indigenous peoples and the mainly European settler population. Reconciliation Place was opened by Prime Minister John Howard in 2002.
The design of Reconciliation Place emanated from the Australian Government's open national design competition in 2001. The winning entry [1] was designed by Australian architect Simon Kringas. Sharon Payne was an Indigenous Cultural Representative. The competition jury included Ngunnawal Elder Matilda House and RAIA Gold Medal architect Richard Leplastrier. The design was chosen for its "direct and timeless qualities". [2] It is described as "one of the world’s most significant public memorials to indigenous history". [3]
The design is dominated by a convex mound – termed the 'midden' – centred on the land and water axes conceived by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin's design for Canberra. The subtle rise in elevation provides expansive views. It is an "outward looking ... contemplative space" [4] – "a nexus from which both axes can be simultaneously – and almost ethereally – experienced". [5] Linking the High Court of Australia and National Gallery to the National Library of Australia is a public promenade adorned with acutely sculpted installations called "Slivers", each displaying images and text on themes of reconciliation and intended to accrue and evolve over time. [6] Each Sliver is a fragment of the macro composition, with a consistent angular morphology, materials and a constant datum, combining to form a broad fractured landscape.
Internationally, the design of “Reconciliation Place presents a unique solution … demonstrating a long-term planning strategy for commemoration that admits the complexity, contradiction and continuity of memory. lts masterplan consists of a large number of fragmentary art work "slivers" by various designers … The artworks range from patches of landscape to primeval carved megaliths to sleek, angular assemblages of photo etched steel and glass. Visitors can take various paths among the art works, which allows for different readings. The masterplan intends that new works will continue to be added as the process of reconciliation unfolds. lndeed, the precinct's fragmentary form helps communicate the idea of an incomplete and unresolved narrative … lts form and its meanings provide an alternative to the physical, conceptual and thematic traditions and rigidities of stale commemoration”. [7]
“Both the layout and themes of this precinct contest the State's hegemony in defining the past”. [8]
Artworks installed since the opening of Reconciliation Place include:
The construction of Reconciliation Place was limited to a total budget of AU$3.5M and a timeframe of four months for design and construction. Significant changes were made to the winning competition design by the government "National Capital Authority" responsible for managing the project. The mound height was diminished, ceramic paving intended for its surface was replaced by grass turf, and circulation directed around, rather than continuing over, the apex. Arced retaining walls embracing the mound were replaced by splayed earth berms. Later sculptures added to the promenade are autonomous installations and do not follow the concept of forming a macro landscape envisaged by the 'Slivers'. The intended tangential relationship of the ramp grade connecting to Commonwealth Place was not realised and "the view up the Commonwealth Place ramp from the lake’s edge is foreshortened and terminated". [5]
Nevertheless, Reconciliation Place has proven successful as the chosen gathering place for major public festivals and events in Canberra, and as a resting point for workers and visitors to the Parliamentary Zone. Reconciliation Place and Commonwealth Place “amplify and enhance the crystalline geometry of the Griffins’ plan … Both are design achievements of which the nation can be proud”. [5]
Walter Burley Griffin was an American architect and landscape architect. He is known for designing Canberra, Australia's capital city and the New South Wales towns of Griffith and Leeton. He has been credited with the development of the L-shaped floor plan, the carport and an innovative use of reinforced concrete.
The National Gallery of Australia (NGA), formerly the Australian National Gallery, is the national art museum of Australia as well as one of the largest art museums in Australia, holding more than 166,000 works of art. Located in Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory, it was established in 1967 by the Australian Government as a national public art museum. As of 2022 it is under the directorship of Nick Mitzevich.
Government House, in the suburb of Yarralumla, is the official residence of the governor-general of Australia. It is located in the suburb of Yarralumla, in the City of Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory. The house is set amid 54 hectares of parkland. The house and associated grounds were added to the Commonwealth Heritage List on 22 June 2004.
The history of Canberra details the development of the city of Canberra from the time before European settlement to the city's planning by the Chicago architect Walter Burley Griffin in collaboration with Marion Mahony Griffin, and its subsequent development to the present day.
Lake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake in the centre of Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was completed in 1963 after the Molonglo River, which ran between the city centre and Parliamentary Triangle, was dammed. It is named after Walter Burley Griffin, the American architect who won the competition to design the city of Canberra.
Yarralumla is a large inner south suburb of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. Located approximately 3.5 km (2.2 mi) south-west of the city, Yarralumla extends along the south-west bank of Lake Burley Griffin from Scrivener Dam to Commonwealth Avenue.
The National Carillon is a large carillon situated on Queen Elizabeth II Island in Lake Burley Griffin, central Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The carillon is managed and maintained by the National Capital Authority on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia. It has 57 bells, ranging nearly 5 octaves from the 6,108 kg (13,466 lb) bass bell in F# to the 8 kg (18 lb) treble bell in D.
Old Parliament House, formerly known as the Provisional Parliament House, was the seat of the Parliament of Australia from 1927 to 1988. The building began operation on 9 May 1927 after Parliament's relocation from Melbourne to the new capital, Canberra. In 1988, the Commonwealth Parliament transferred to the new Parliament House on Capital Hill. It also serves as a venue for temporary exhibitions, lectures and concerts.
The National Triangle, which is referred to as the Parliamentary Triangle, is the ceremonial precinct of Canberra, containing some of Australia's most significant buildings. The National Triangle is formed by Commonwealth, Kings and Constitution Avenues. Buildings within the National Triangle have been located and designed intentionally for visual effect, and those of national significance are popular tourist attractions.
Commonwealth Place is located on the southern shore of Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra. It lies along the ‘water axis’ running along the lake from Black Mountain. Commonwealth Place is the location of the Gallery of Australian Design, Reconciliation Place, a restaurant and Speakers Square. Walter Burley Griffin, the architect who designed Canberra, envisaged that the area would be the site of a "water gate" which would have a terrace above it, providing a "forum for the people". Griffin's vision was for a long time left unrecognised but as of 2005 the area was being developed to reflect the original plan.
Commonwealth Park is in Canberra, Australia, adjacent to the north side of Lake Burley Griffin. Centrally located in the city, it is an important part of the urban landscape. The park has an area of 34.25 hectares, which includes a variety of natural and constructed spaces.
Ngunnawal/Ngunawal is an Australian Aboriginal language, the traditional language of the Ngunnawal. Ngunnawal is very closely related to the Gandangara language and the two were most likely highly mutually intelligible. As such they can be considered dialects of a single unnamed language, but this is the technical linguistic usage of these terms and Ngunnawal people prefer to describe their variety as a language in its own right, as also do the Gandangara.
The history of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) as a separate administrative division began in 1911, when it was transferred from New South Wales to the Australian federal government. The territory contains Australia's capital city Canberra and various smaller settlements. Until 1989, it also administered the Jervis Bay Territory, a small coastal region.
The Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture is a national Christian ecumenical centre, established in 1993, in Canberra, the national capital of Australia. It encourages dialogue and cooperation among Christian churches and between Christianity and other faiths, as well as exploring issues relating to reconciliation in Australia and the interface between Christian faith and Australian culture. The Centre is a research centre within Charles Sturt University, through a formal partnership established in 1998 between the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn and the University and is affiliated with United Theological College and St Mark's National Theological Centre.
Ellen José (1951 – 2 June 2017) was an Australian indigenous artist and photographer She was a Torres Strait Islander descendant from Murray, Darnley and Horn Islands who lived in Melbourne with husband Joseph Toscano.
Stephen Broadbent is a British sculptor, specialising in public art. He was born in Wroughton, Wiltshire in 1961 and educated at Liverpool Blue Coat School. In Liverpool he studied sculpture for four years under Arthur Dooley.
The Captain James Cook Memorial was built by the Commonwealth Government to commemorate the Bicentenary of Captain James Cook's first sighting of the east coast of Australia. The memorial includes a water jet located in the central basin and a skeleton globe sculpture at Regatta Point of Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, showing the paths of Cook's expeditions. On 25 April 1970, Queen Elizabeth II officially inaugurated the memorial.
Jerrabomberra Creek, a partly perennial stream of the Murrumbidgee catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Capital Country region spanning both New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
The National Arboretum Canberra is a 250-hectare arboretum in Canberra, the national capital of Australia, created after the area was burned out as a result of the Christmas 2001 and 2003 Canberra bushfires: The Himalayan Cedar forest lost about one third of its trees, and the commercial Radiata Pine plantation was burned out, allowing the arboretum to be created.
The High Court of Australia building is located on the shore of Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra's Parliamentary Triangle. It is currently the home to the High Court of Australia. The High Court building was designed between 1972 and 1974 by the Australian architect Christopher Kringas (1936–1975), a director of the firm Edwards Madigan Torzillo and Briggs. The building was constructed from 1975 to 1980. Its international architectural significance is recognised by the Union of International Architects register of 'Architectural Heritage of the 20th Century'. It received the Australian Institute of Architects 'Canberra Medallion' in 1980 and the award for 'Enduring Architecture' in 2007. The High Court building was added to the Commonwealth Heritage List in 2004.
