Rhinos charge La Trobe
Three rhinos have made their home on the lawns of La Trobe University, much to the delight of staff, students and the local community.
The Run for your Life rhinos have been roaming around Melbourne since 2014 but have finally settled in Bundoora.
Cast from bronze, the heaviest rhino weighs one thousand kilos and calls for visitors to climb on for a ride.
Philanthropic organisation Wonderment Walk Victoria donated the lifelike sculpture to La Trobe in the name of bringing art to the people. The sculpture was officially unveiled at a launch ceremony on Thursday 24 September.
La Trobe Chancellor Professor Adrienne E Clarke AC said the rhinos were an exciting acquisition that would allow residents in Melbourne’s north to experience work by renowned Australian artists, Gillie and Marc.
‘The Run for your Life sculptures are a welcome and striking addition to our Melbourne Campus and appreciated by staff and students,’ Professor Clarke said.
‘This is a generous gift from Wonderment Walk Victoria to La Trobe. Our family of rhinoceros are prompting discussion, delight and curiosity – traits encouraged by our University.’
Wonderment Walk Victoria Founder and Chair Eddie Kutner said Run for your Life was a perfect fit for La Trobe.
‘The rhinos will help showcase the University’s wildlife sanctuary and sculpture park all of which complement the architecture, flora and extensive wildlife, forming part of the landscape of the Melbourne Campus,’ Mr Kutner said.
‘Wonderment Walk is very proud to have a continuing relationship with La Trobe, who along with the local council and local community are coming together to strive to make a difference.’
Artists Gillie and Marc created the sculpture in a bid to raise public awareness of the plight of the rhino species in the wild.
‘Now critically endangered, rhinos desperately need the active involvement of everyone to save their lives. Our hope is that everyone who sees Run for your Life can feel a connection to the rhinos and to their future,’ the artists said.
The rhinos were originally commissioned for display at Federation Square and went on to a stint at SummerSalt Festival earlier this year.
Wonderment Walk Victoria is an organisation that aims to create open-air galleries that excite and inspire, galleries without walls and without boundaries, open to the public free of entry or exhibition charges.
The rhinos will now live permanently at La Trobe, for the enjoyment of the community.
Read full article here > https://latrobetimes.blogs.latrobe.edu.au/2015/09/30/rhinos-charge-la-trobe/