Southern Cross sculpture
2003
Construction by Chris O'Dyer
Commissioned with the support of Dr Bruce Reid AM KNO
This sculpture by Jon Hawley was inspired by one of the earliest known images of the Southern Cross: a wood engraving in the rare manuscript Lettera di Andrea Corsali (Letters of Andrea Corsali), made in Florence in 1516. In the manuscript, Corsali describes the stars as forming a ‘cross so fair and beautiful, that no other heavenly sign may be compared to it’.* The manuscript is on permanent loan to the Mitchell Library from the Bruce and Joy Reid Foundation, Sydney.
Mounted on the vestibule wall above the marble staircase, the sculpture is made from cobalt blue glass, stainless steel, clear perspex and fibre optic lights that change colour throughout the day. It was the first major decorative element to be added to the Mitchell Library since the extensions of 1942.
At the time of the 1942 extensions to the Mitchell Library, a space in the vestibule was created for an appropriate artistic work. It took another 61 years to fill the spot, with Jon Hawley’s sculpture completed in 2003 and officially dedicated on 23 February 2004.
Jon Hawley is an artist and graphic designer based in Sydney. His work includes logos, graphics and artworks for Bankcard, Channel Ten, Newspoll, Greg Norman golf courses, Deloitte Touche, and the University of Sydney.
Soon after British settlement of Australia, the image of the Southern Cross was adopted as a symbol of colonial identity, distinct from existing British or northern hemisphere associations.
The most celebrated use of the Southern Cross image was on the homemade flag held high at the Eureka Stockade in 1854 by gold diggers protesting government authority.
The position of the Southern Cross in the night sky on the edge of the Milky Way alters according to the time of year; the great constant is the cross-shaped pattern of the five centre stars, which make up the Southern Cross itself.
The sculpture weighs approximately 100 kilograms.
The Southern Cross appears on the Australian, New Zealand and Brazilian national flags.
The stars of the Southern Cross have long served as a guide and companion to seafarers sailing in southern waters, and for travellers journeying across the southern lands.
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