Photo: Jay Cronan
E
arlier in the year, in an opinion piece in this newspaper, I had cause to question whether Robyn Archer and the Centenary of Canberra team had hit the right mark in the first weeks of our 100th celebration. If they had inspired Canberrans to ''feel'' that this was ''our year''. My conclusion was they hadn't.
When ''One Very Big Day'' happened I was there, and as enjoyable a time as it was, for me it didn't hit the right note - and left me hungry. I was afraid that what I had predicted was coming true - that Canberra's Centenary was completely and utterly underwhelming.
Then Skywhale launched and my faith in Archer and her team and the Centenary celebration itself, my pride in this beautiful national capital and my love for the arts was restored.
I was beaming - I still am - at the inspiring and beautiful work of public art that soared across our skies. I have never seen so much wonder in a child's face as when I saw them marvelling at artist Patricia Piccinini's amazing creature making its way across the ACT skyline.
Then, along came the wowsers.
''It costs too much'' … ''You could buy a hospital bed with that!'' … ''Are my hard-earned taxpayer dollars paying for such ugliness?'' … ''Why are there tits on a whale?''
And in an instant, in media around the nation, there were Canberrans reinforcing people's preconceived ideas about our city and the people who live in it - that is, that we're a boring bunch of whingeing public servants.
As I read through the letters to the editor of The Canberra Times and the multitude of comments on canberratimes.com.au I noticed that it was all the ''usual suspects''. I bet most of the whingers, the naysayers - almost all of them, those ''usual suspects'' I speak of - hadn't even seen Skywhale and were relying on images they had seen on the web - and just for the record, an image on the web does the work no justice - standing in front of it watching it fly is a totally different and unique experience.
Partly this internal whingeing is due to how the ACT government came to reveal the cost of the project. When they said it cost $170,000, what they really meant was that multiplied by two.
And really, the way that aspect of the project has been handled is atrocious.
ACT Labor, in its time in government over the past decade or so, has had a few problems explaining costs to the ACT public and this is just another example of that.
But, in my humble opinion, the cost matters not. It has already paid for itself 10 times over through the stimulation of debate about public art and in the sheer publicity it has generated for Canberra nationwide as well as internationally.
There are hundreds of examples I could use to justify the cost of Skywhale to the ACT taxpayer, but here's the one point that boils it all down for me. Each time the Greater Western Sydney AFL team plays a match at Manuka Oval the ACT government pays about $700,000 (that's $2.8 million for just four matches).
An AFL quarter lasting 25 minutes therefore costs $175,000. I attended a GWS game and there were 6000 people there. It's a salient argument. Skywhale is cheap at half the price when compared with an AFL match.
Skywhale is not ugly. It's incredibly beautiful. Artist Patricia Piccinini, a former Canberran, has produced a thought-provoking, fun, visually exciting, creatively challenging, publicly engaging, playful, whimsical and relevant work that should be applauded - and we should be proud that this is what creative minds from our city have done.
I am sure the Skywhale's trip to other places around the nation will cause just as much excitement - and controversy too - while also promoting the great city of Canberra.
Robyn Archer, you have changed my mind. I am very proud that you are the creative director of Canberra's 100th birthday celebration and many, many people will be forever grateful that you brought Skywhale into our lives - and hearts.
Whingers just need to snuggle up to one of those giant breasts and get over it.
Jorian Gardner is a journalist and commentator, theatre producer and former director of Canberra's Fringe Festival.
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