I’m not talking about the Kate Bush song from ’80s or the theme behind the song, which entailed productions from the Hammer Studios (UK) which ran horror movies  (by the way – loved those Dracula one’s with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing); nor am I talking about ‘tradies’ items in the tool kit to which one can sing “If I had a hammer” or “Bang, bang Maxwell’s Silver Hammer came down...”.This is more to do with the five ring circus we know as the Olympics and other sporting events where ‘Hammer throwing’ is part of the meet…. and it also relates to sculpture.

• The bronze sculpture known as the hammer thrower (aka Pathfinder -1974) was designed  by John Edward Robinson.
• It lives in Queen Victoria Gardens in Melbourne.
• It was originally commissioned by Conzinc Riotinto to install in their proposed new building which failed to transpire,  so the sculpture was placed on long-term loan to the City of Melbourne, who placed it in the gardens.
• However, since its installation, the hammerhead for the thrower has been stolen several times and often replaced.
• In the beginning it was thought that  uni students in muck-up week would ‘pinch’ it, and maybe they have, and maybe they haven’t but obviously the replacement has gone ‘beyond the pale’ for the Council, as the hammer-thrower has been without his hammer for quite a while – which makes it a true hammer-horror, and as for his equilibrium?

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“Is It Art?”