Tumbling Die 1986

Summary

As an abstract geometric sculptural maquette, Tumbling Die by Dan Wollmering can be interpreted in the context of the pioneering efforts made to address the “sculptural malaise" that plagued Melbourne in the late twentieth century. Nowhere was this malaise more evident than in the city's overwhelmingly negative reception to Ron Robertson Swann's now infamous sculpture Vault. Indeed, Tumbling Die exemplifies the ways in which sculptural practices continued to diversify in Melbourne, despite slow public uptake. In this regard, the maquette's direct link to the 1986 ‘Sculpture for Melbourne’ exhibition series curated by Ken Scarlett in the Gryphon Gallery is particularly significant. Through this exhibition series, Scarlett vehemently advocated for the public and private sectors to be courageous and commission contemporary sculptors to produce works for public places that reflected the styles and ideas of the present. In order to make his point, a number of photomontages were created for the exhibition catalogue as a "provocative method to show spectators what Melbourne might look like if 20th century, rather than 19th century, sculpture was visually in the majority." - Ken Scarlett