Alumna sculpts plastic monkey for National Library

An Alumna from The Australian National University (ANU) School of Art has built a giant statue to commemorate the Chinese Year of the Monkey and raise awareness about pollution.

Measuring about 2.5 metres tall and made from a mix of polycarbonate and recycled bottles, the work was created by Claire Tracey for the National Library of Australia and is currently in the building’s forecourt. 

The sculpture also has its own solar panels, sitting at the foot of the giant monkey, used to power LED lights inside its body.

“The figure of the Monkey is reaching up towards the sun that powers the lights within it,” Ms Tracey said.

Ms Tracey, who graduated from ANU with a BA in Visual Arts (Honours) in 2004, created the work from hundreds of cleaned bottles, some of which she had found in storm water traps around Canberra.

“I wanted to show that beautiful things and permanent structures can be made from plastics, new and recycled,” she said. 

“As we become a global community, we not only share a wealth of cultures, we have the opportunity to create a shared responsibility and a shared international culture that proactively deals with environmental concerns.

“This project for the National Library of Australia uses art to demonstrate these elements.” 

The Chinese Year of the Monkey began on 8 February.

The work is an example of the links between ANU and the capital’s national collecting institutions.

ANU is a sponsor of the Library’s Celestial Empire exhibit which was curated by Dr Nathan Woolley of the University’s Australian Centre on China in the World.

The sculpture will be on display in front of the National Library for the next month, ahead of its relocation into the Children’s Reading Room inside the Library.