Mildura council has its eye on one of Melbourne’s most famous pieces of public art

In a bizarre PR stunt, Mildura Rural City Council has placed Melbourne “on notice”, requesting the transfer of Ron Robertson-Swann’s sculpture Vault from its current home in Southbank to the state’s tropical north.

The multangular, xanthic sculpture – colloquially referred to as the “Yellow Peril” – stands in the forecourt of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) and has long been no stranger to public debate and local opprobrium.

However, Mildura Council’s zany attempt to have it relocated to the front lawns of the Mildura Arts Centre may be one of the stranger proposals for Ron Robertson-Swann’s first major work.

Deputy Mayor and councillor for arts, culture and heritage at Mildura Rural City Council, Helen Healy, confirmed the city is ready to receive and honour the sculpture.

“We’ve made Melbourne a fair offer,” Cr Healy said. “Mildura feeds Melbourne every day. Those trucks that deliver your produce could easily return with a work of art.”

We have the community, the space and the respect to give Vault the welcome it deserves. And as we like to say up here in Tropical North Victoria, we take art and sunshine equally seriously.

Relocating the sculpture to Mildura would reunite it with its companion piece, Beethoven – a decision the sculptor, Ron Robertson-Swann, welcomes.

“Beethoven has lived with great respect in Mildura for more than 50 years. Reuniting these works would be an appropriate and meaningful tribute to their shared history,” he said.

Shane Jacobson, of Kenny fame, has also shared his two cents on the matter, calling for the relocation.

Jacobson, who also serves as Mildura’s official tourism ambassador, said: “[Mildura is] ready to step in and care for a piece of art that Melbourne has neglected for decades. If Melbourne won’t give Vault the home it deserves, Mildura will!”

“Let’s not forget, Melbourne once stuffed it in a storage shed like an unwanted toy. We’ve got the space, the sunshine, and, frankly, the trucks are already waiting.”

Vault was commissioned by Melbourne City Council in 1978 following a public competition for a sculpture to feature in the newly-built City Square.

It was the first major public artwork for sculptor Ron Robertson-Swann, who had previously worked as an assistant to Henry Moore.

During its installation in the grey concrete of Melbourne’s City Square, the piece attracted criticism from councillors and the conservative media, led by The Sun.

It became the focus of an intense public art debate, which resulted in the sculpture being dismantled and moved to Batman Park, where it sat in the mud for some time before being reconstructed.

It was later relocated to the ACCA forecourt in 2002, following the creation of the Art Precinct. However, another move now seems unlikely – particularly to Victoria’s Tropical North.

City of Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece told the ABC that Vault would not be going anywhere.

“The Ron Robertson-Swann Vault sculpture will be staying in Australia’s arts capital, Melbourne,” Cr Reece said.

“I do notice that Mildura has launched a new advertising campaign saying they are the Tropical North of Victoria, so maybe the council should reach out to Coffs Harbour and see if they can pinch their giant banana from the actual tropical north.”

Cr Reece added that it might be a different outcome if Mildura were willing to pay for Vault. •