Project in Uralla, NSW.

The Constellations of the South was a project conceived and begun back in the late nineties by the now late Charlie Rudd and sculptor Carl Merten. The project lapsed and was picked back up after Charlie’s death.

I was commissioned in late 2023 to develop a maquette for a sculpture for the project, based on my concept for Spin, and was subsequently selected and commissioned to fabricate the work.

Spin is a sculpture based on the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, located in the Hydra constellation. The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy is known for its bright and distinct spiral arms and its high rate of star-forming activity. The galaxy has many young, hot, and massive stars, as well as regions of glowing hydrogen gas where new stars are being born, contributing to its overall brightness. The swirling texture on the surface of Spin alludes to this activity. The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy provides astronomers with a valuable target for detailed observation of galaxy formation and evolution, as well as the ultimate death of stars. It is visible from Earth with binoculars or small telescopes. The classical spiral formation of the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy made it a standout choice as the basis for the concept of Spin.