The Visionary: The Story Behind
Yarra Valley Grammar approached Yarra Old Grammarian Damian Vick (YOG 1998) in June 2016 to discuss the development of an artwork to commemorate the School's 50th Anniversary. With an open brief, Damian prepared, explored and presented various directions and concepts that aimed to encapsulate the nature of Yarra, its people, its philosophy, its spirit and its direction. In consultation with Dr Mark Merry, a single vision was settled on; a figure, a dreamer, a visionary.
While a school is comprised of many elements, its focus is essentially its students and this is what needed to be captured in the work. School is a time where we mature, grow and prepare ourselves for life as an adult. It provides us with information and experiences that inspire the mind and guides our trajectory into the world beyond. It is a place in which we can develop our dreams and then equip ourselves for the challenge of making those dreams come true. It is these ideas, along with a reference to the School Motto (Levavi Oculous – I lift up my eyes) that determined the scale and pose that the sculpture would take; an aspirational visionary, looking skyward, pondering and projecting its future.
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