Named after an early vine grower, Mengler's Hill has been home to the Sculpture Park since 1988.
The short walking trail weaves around seventeen sculptures, nine of which were created from local marble and granite over six weeks in 1988. Sculptors lived with local residents during the creation of the abstract pieces, which were designed to reflect the environment and capture the spirit of the Barossa.
The Park is maintained by the Barossa Sculpture Park Committee. For further details on the Committee, the previous Symposiums, and general details regarding the Sculptures or the Artists, please refer to their website
1988 - Sculptures
It was 1988, Australia's Bicentennial year, when the Barossa Valley hosted the first Barossa International Sculpture Symposium where nine sculptors met over six weeks and carved out some super-sized sculptures from local white marble and granite.
The sculptures were to reflect the environment and express the ambience and spirit of the Barossa Valley. To further the understanding between the artists and the community, the sculptors were hosted by Barossa residents living with them in private houses during their stay. The varied expression of the abstract pieces is evidence of the sculptors' perception as well as their cultural background.
2008 – Sculptures
To celebrate the Park's 20th anniversary the second Barossa International Sculpture Symposium was held in 2008. Eight new sculptors carved sculptures in South Australian Black Granite and Sienna Granite (brown). The blocks of marble and Granite range from 2.4m to 3m. There is an obvious difference sbetween the original pieces from 1988 sculptured from white marble and granite compared to the 2008 sculptures in Black and Brown granite.
Geology:
The South Australian Black Granite (part of the Black Hill Gabbroic Complex; Early to Middle Ordovician) was mined at Black Hill which is 500 Feet above sea level. It is estimated that the Granite was formed 500 million years ago. Granite is uniform in texture, rich black in colour.
The Granite is a plutonic igneous rock formed by slowly cooling pockets of magma trapped beneath the earth's surface. Granites are typically a hard rock with visible crystalline texture, rich in quartz and feldspar. Granite is the most common igneous rock of the Earth’s crust. Crystals are produced whenever a solid is formed gradually. Granites are crystalline rocks. If the granite source material, magma, is cooled rapidly, numerous seed crystals form and grow only into tiny crystals; but if the material is cooled slowly, a few seed crystals will grow into large crystals.
Black Granite has been featured in the former building of John Martins and David Jones (Adelaide). The new Parliament House and the Library both in Canberra. Sienna Brown granite used as cobblestones in the fore - court of the Sydney Opera House.
Marble is a rock resulting from metamorphism of sedimentary carbonate rocks, most commonly limestone or dolomite. Metamorphism causes variable recrystallization of the original carbonate mineral grains. The resulting marble rock is typically composed of an interlocking mosaic of carbonate crystals. Pure white marble is the result of metamorphism of a very pure limestone or dolomite. The characteristic swirls and veins of many colored marble varieties are due to various mineral impurities, which were originally present as grains or layers in the limestone.
White marble has been prized for its use in sculptures since classical times. This preference has to do with its softness, which made it easier to carve, relative isotropy and homogeneity, and a relative resistance to shattering. Also, the low index of refraction of calcite allows light to penetrate several millimeters into the stone before being scattered out, resulting in the characteristic waxy look which gives "life" to marble sculptures of any kind, which is why many sculptors preferred and still prefer marble for sculpting.
LOGGING REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS EARTHCACHE
In order to log this EarthCache you must visit Menglers Hill and walk around the sculpture park to obtain the answers to the set questions. You will then need to email the answers to the questions. Photos and stories of your visit are welcomed and encouraged
There is no need to wait for a confirmation email to log your find. I will read each email to confirm your answers and will contact you if there is a problem. Please do not email photos, just upload them with your log.
If an email is not received in a timely manner after logging your cache, the log will be deleted.
EarthCache Questions:
1. Take a walk around the sculptures in the park, touch the various types of granite and marble and give details of the differences between the composition of the rock from the 1988 marble/granite sculptures, and the 2008 black/brown granite sculptures
2. Which granite types have the largest crystal formations the 1988 or the 2008 sculptures?
3. Find the sculpture ‘Persephone’ (earthcache actual coordinates) located in the corner near the carpark, this is a 2008 sculpture, made from marble rather than granite, how does this compare to the other 2008 modern sculptures such as “Poort’, ‘Sprout’ and ‘Memory of a Keyhole’?
