01/05/2025
On an evening threatening showers, nearly 40 people gathered on the Muswellbrook Library forecourt for the unveiling of a new sculpted bench seat, Liddell, a legacy of light and dark, by artist blacksmith Will Maguire. The circular bench is designed as a place of contemplation – it is also a representation of the power station itself. Much of it is built out of reworked pieces from Liddell. You can follow the process of electricity creation through the little sculpture in the middle. And the base lights up!
Will Maguire created this work to mark the closure of iconic Liddell Power Station in 2023 and it was unveiled on 28 April, two years to the day since the last turbine slowed and stopped. Making the bench raised questions about what this power station meant for Australia and what it means into the future. The prominent stacks and circular light nod toward both the public good of providing electricity to NSW, and the public harm of carbon emissions contributing to a warming planet.
Will has said of his work: “This seat is built from the industrial bones of hard work and high pressures and now sits in a public place providing restorative rump support for all, with ample room for your neighbour.”
Overall, Maguire wanted to act towards a positive future. A three dimensional “map” made with remnants of the industrial complex itself, it speaks to lives and active processes which hummed for decades. Sections of pressure pipe stand in for the four huge boilers, a re-forged crusher-drive forms the coal conveyer tower. Deep texture from ‘King Dick’ spanners and ash-conveyor parts fill out the picture of a place that few knew well but which affected many lives. Above all this is a practical seat where people can sit together night or day.
The artwork was commissioned by Arts Upper Hunter for the LiddellWORKS program, funding from AGL, the NSW Government and Muswellbrook Shire Council.
📷 taken by John O'Brien.
