Take Flight

I made Take Flight in 2020 for St Peter Claver College in Ipswich. The work sits at the entrance to the school's administration building, where students pass it daily on their way up the main stairs.

The form follows the spiral flight path of a helicopter seed as it falls and spins away from the parent tree. The path is mapped across 14 curved aluminium panels, each with a pattern representing the students. The pattern shows figures holding hands and supporting each other on shoulders. The panels spiral around a central steel shaft, stepping outward as they rise to 4.5 metres, creating the rotating motion of the seed's descent.

The materials are anodised aluminium panels in natural silver finish, mounted to a galvanised steel central post. The anodising provides durability without paint degradation. The work is bolted to a concrete footing and designed to withstand Queensland weather and the daily movement of hundreds of students.

The college framed the brief around belonging, welcome, and growth. The seed metaphor emerged through conversation with the school. The college is the tree. Students are nurtured until they're ready to take flight. The spiral shows that while the college offers equal opportunity, each student follows their own trajectory to find where they'll grow. The pattern of linked figures reinforces that individual journeys happen within a community.

The work has been installed for five years. The aluminium holds its finish. The pattern detail is still clear. Students encounter it every time they enter the building.

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Video by St Peter Claver College

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