One of the most public icons of the Commonwealth Games were the fish on the Yarra. Each night of the games they were lit up and squirted water in a spectacular display. A bit kitsch, but a real crowd pleaser – hundreds of thousands must have watched it. There’s now a bit of a debate as to whether the fish should be saved from the trash, perhaps mounted on a wall as public artwork somewhere like a swimming pool.
Well, I can tell you, it’s probably not going to happen. Just by chance yesterday, I was wandering past some warehouses and I spotted a familiar shape in the shadows – a fish tail. Yes, I had found the fish, in storage, away from the glamour, lights and colour, demounted from their pontoons and support frames (which were being broken up outside). I asked, and was granted permission to have a look around and take some photos. They are truly magical – really excellent, accurate representations of the species, but they are made of the lightest, most temporary material – several had eyes made of vegetable steamers! brilliant!!
They were designed for a good time, not a long time – the party is over, it’s time to let go!