On the Northwest Corner Terrace to Parliament Drive is the Armillary sphere sundial, a gift from the Country Women’s Association (CWA) to the nation for the opening of Parliament House. The Sundial was commissioned by the Parliament House Construction Authority (PHCA) and managed by Mitchell/Giurgola and Thorp (MGT) Architects as part of the Art/Craft program and unveiled on 2 November 1988.
On the advice of the architects and the PHCA, the CWA selected Hendrik Forster to design an armillary sphere sundial on a black granite base. The Design Brief stated that the Sundial should ‘reflect their [CWA’s] values of quite strength, solidity of purpose, and timelessness in style’.1
The sundial is constructed from sand-cast, rolled, and cut and polished bronze on a large granite base. It is positioned to look over the panoramic views of Lake Burley Griffin and the Canberra City Centre.
Armillary sphere sundials have been used as early as 225BC. They commonly employ three interlocking rings to support a middle rod, known as the gnomon, which casts a shadow that tells the viewer the time. The three rings are the known as the Celestial equator, which indicates the hour, the Meridian Circle, which follows the earth’s North-South plane, and the Horizontal Plane (the Plane of the Ecliptic), which is perpendicular to the earth’s Equatorial plane. The Meridian Circle and the Horizontal Plane are both fabricated to match the specific location intended for the sundial.2
Hendrik Forster
Henrik Forster (born 1947) is a German artist known for his metal work on sculptural and functional pieces. In 1973 he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, and in 1974 established a studio in Melbourne. He has received several prestigious commissions throughout his career, including commissions to create Australia’s Royal Wedding Gift in 1981, tableware for the Lodge, silverware for Parliament House and other various gifts presented by Australia to other countries.
References
1. M. Pamille Berg, Interwoven: the commissioned art and craft for Parliament House, Commonwealth of Australia, 2018, p.249.
2. Sundials Australia, Armillary spheres, 2014. Accessed Nov 2022 via https://www.sundialsaustralia.com.au/armillary-spheres.
Hendrik Forster (born 1947),
Armillary sphere sundial, 1988
cast bronze, polished black granite base, engraved text, bronze letters,
Official Gifts Collection,
Art/Craft Program,
Parliament House Art Collection