Barbed Wire Emus

**Artist **Laurie Nilsen

Signature & date L. Nilsen engraved into the cast aluminium head of the emus.

Three emus stand on the roundabout near athletics track. Each emu is made from a barbwire body, cast aluminium head and steel legs with a steel square base.

Artist Statement:

"I have made about thirty barbed-wire emus, so I have lost track of where they have all ended up. Emus are near and dear to me; they are my totem. I grew up seeing them perish the way they do. There is not a lot you can do about it. It’s just the way it is. They are awkward. A kangaroo or a wallaby can either jump over or crawl under a barb wire fence. But poor-old emu, they can smell the water and all they want to do is get a drink. They will pace up and down that fence for days trying to get through, then they make the fateful decision to step through the top two rungs, because that is the height they are. As they trip through, their leg gets caught. The more they struggle the tighter it gets..."

Location:

On the roundabout at Rodeo Drive and Jack Smyth Drive.

31°08'05.5"S 150°54'48.8"E