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No. 1 ‘Meet Graham’ Sculpture by Patricia Piccinini at the State Library Victoria – Australia commissioned by the TAC 23.7.16 – Karen Robinson standing to the left viewing ‘Graham’.
INTRODUCTION
During this week, I heard about this sculpture called ‘Graham‘! So my hubby and I, went into the State Library of Victoria to visit this amazing sculpture that had been designed to especially promote road safety – a cause dear to our hearts. As parents, we had a son whom was killed instantly in road trauma, and who had suffered severe brain injury and a broken right femur during the motor vehicle crash. Since his death in 2009, we have been involved in varying ways with Road Trauma Support Services Victoria (RTSSV). RTSSV offer free counselling to anyone who has been impacted by road trauma; and they also offer education programs in the hope that with education about road safety and road trauma, will save lives and reduce serious injury. So, we were particularly interested in seeing what the ‘Graham’ sculpture was all about; seeing what TAC’s latest road safety campaign could offer as a life saving message to all road users.
WHY WAS ‘GRAHAM’ CREATED!
‘Graham‘ had been created, with intention to help the wider community be more aware of our human physical vulnerabilities, as road users. ‘Graham‘ is here, to help us understand that our bodies are not designed to engaged with forces caused by the impact of road trauma; and was therefore designed to show us what we, as road users, would have to look like, in order to be able to survive road trauma. Safer roads, safer vehicles, safer speeds, and us – safer people (TAC 2016) are all the elements that it takes to help save lives and reduce serious injury caused by road crashes. So hopefully – by people meeting ‘Graham‘ will have us re-think about our vulnerability as road users. To also help us think about how we are not built like ‘Graham‘ to within stand the forces of road crashes; and that we need to be consciously – safe and responsible road users by just simply following the road rules.
No. 2 ‘Meet Graham’ Sculpture by Patricia Piccinini at the State Library Victoria & commissioned by TAC 2016 Photographed by Karen Robinson
TOWARDS ZERO TAC – “The Only Person Designed To Survive On Our Roads”
Below is the ‘Meet Graham‘ card I had collected where he was sitting at the State Library of Victoria. I took a photo of the card inclusive of my own hand. It’s interesting how my real-life human hand, when compared with the picture of ‘Graham’s head and shoulder’ – shows just how lifelike this sculpture really is, and how cleaver and talented his creator must be! Details about ‘Graham’ being ‘the only person designed to survive on our roads’ (TAC 2016) and as written on the back of the card, can be found here below:-
No. 13 ‘Meet Graham’ Sculpture by Patricia Piccinini at the State Library Victoria & commissioned by TAC 2016 Photographed by Karen Robinson. Karen’s human real life hand holding TAC’s ‘Meet Graham’s Card’ obtained from the State Library Victoria.
“As much as we like to think we’re invincible, we are not. But what if we were to change? Graham shows us what we might look like if our bodies were built to survive a crash. By highlighting our own vulnerability, Graham helps us understand why we need to protect ourselves on the roads by being safer drivers, driving safer vehicles and building safer roads. Graham is a collaboration between the Transport Accident Commission, Royal Melbourne Hospital trauma surgeon Christian Kenfield, Monash University Accident Research Centre crash investigation expert Dr David Logan and world-renowned Melbourne artist Patricia Piccinini. Don’t miss the opportunity to meet Graham for yourself and take advantage of an Australian first augmented reality experience, letting you look beneath his skin and explore the science behind his unique features. You can also find out more about Graham at meetgraham.com.au ” (TAC – Meet Graham Card – 2016).
GRAHAM’S INTERNAL BODY STRUCTURE
By viewing TAC’s interactive sculpture by artist Patricia Piccinini YouTube below ‘Meet Graham‘ – you will be able to view this sculpture’s internal body structure. By just clicking on the individual white circles, you will be able to see Graham’s BRAIN, SKULL, FACE, NECK, RIB CAGE, SKIN, KNEES, LEGS AND FEET! Graham’s internal structure has taken on such a drastic change which shows us, how we would need to be built ourselves, if we could, to withstand road crashes! It’s very revealing and leaves no doubt, that we as humans, built as we are now – are not superhuman, we are very exposed to death and serious injury caused by road trauma.
PATRICIA PICCININI – THE ARTIST IN HER STUDIO YOUTUBE
Patricia Piccinini is the creator of the sculpture ‘Graham‘. She is one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists and has received a lifetime achievement award by the Melbourne Art Foundation. She was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone in 1955 but lives and works in Melbourne. Patricia has exhibited widely in Australia with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, and the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne and also internationally – Tokyo, Berlin, Cardiff and Liverpool (ACMI 2016). Patricia works in varying mediums such as painting, video, sound, installation, digital prints, and sculpture. Her sculpture of ‘Graham‘ 2016 is made of silicone, fiberglass, human hair, clothing, concrete and is 140 x 120 x 170 cms (Piccinini 2016).
TAC’S NEW ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGN EXPLAINED
Chief Executive of TAC Joe Calafiore in the below YouTube, talks about TAC’s latest road safety campaign ‘Meet Graham’ with Neil Mitchell at 3AW – an Australian radio presenter on Melbourne AM talk-back station.
PHOTOS TAKEN BY KAREN ROBINSON OF ‘MEET GRAHAM’ AT STATE LIBRARY OF VICTORIA
CONCLUSION
TAC’s latest road safety campaign is for sure, a very interesting approach to grabbing the attention of the wider community to rethink about their road usage. What left me with a lasting impression was captured within the photo below. In the forefront there is a mother kneeling with her two young children and beside them, standing, is their grandmother. Here we see three generations of family, taking time out of their day to come and see ‘Graham’ and to stop and talk, talk about road safety for today and for the future. Just too good…
I hope they never have to experience the loss of a love one through road trauma…In memory of Ben James Robinson 5.11.09…
No. 29 ‘Meet Graham’ Sculpture by Patricia Piccinini at the State Library Victoria & commissioned by TAC 2016 Photographed by Karen Robinson
Written by ©Karen Robinson – July 2016
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Thank you so much for sharing this, what an amazing idea and sculpture to undertake, certainly thought provoking.
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Hi Judith – appreciate your comment and thank you for taking time out of your day to read. The ‘Graham’ sculpture is, as you say a very thought provoking work of art…warm regards Karen
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