Standing four metres high and three metres long, the giant hand on display outside Blue Mountains Woodturners’ Mt Riverview clubhouse is a work of art.
More than 20 members worked on the sculpture over the past year, inspired by Michelangelo’s hand of creation on the Sistine chapel ceiling.
The hand also features on directory maps in every shopping plaza telling you that you are here.
“It is in fact a giant ‘selfie’, and has been designed to enable people to take a selfie in front of the work,” said club member Mike Boyle, who brought the idea to his fellow woodturners.
They thought I was mad. But then everyone was pretty excited.
- Mike Boyle
“They thought I was mad. But then everyone was pretty excited about the project,” Mr Boyle said.
“It hadn’t been done before. You can use woodturning for public art. People normally associate woodturning with little bowls.”
The first challenge was creating a sculpture that could be moved.
“It’s all hollow,” Mr Boyle explained. “The major concern was if we would never be able to lift it.”
The woodturners entered the sculpture in Mudgee’s Sculpture in the Vineyard competition late last year.
“It was mounted onto a trailer and transported to Mudgee. The display went over three days, and was attended by over 3000 visitors.
“The reaction from the public to the ‘U r here!’ as it had been named, varied from amazement to disbelief, to straight out fun.”
The woodturners are working on another big project, but Mr Boyle was keeping the details under his hat.
The public is welcome to view the giant hand outside the clubhouse at 19 Calver Ave, Mt Riverview.
