Fairfield Industrial Dog Object

The ''Fairfield Industrial Dog Object'' (''FIDO'') is a large sculpture in hardwood of a canine in the inner northern Melbourne suburb of Fairfield, Victoria, Australia. It was part of the Darebin City Council's Public Art Program, and is located beside the Fairfield railway station.

Development

''FIDO'' was announced in 1999 as one of a number of projects funded through the council's public art program. From the outset there was considerable community opposition to the project, with members of the local community petitioning the council in order to stop the project from proceeding – at one stage approximately 400 local residents were surveyed by a local shop owner, and it was reported that 90% of those who responded opposed the work. The opposition to the project was such that it has since been described as "one of Melbourne's most fiery debates about public art".

To deal with the concerns, the council engaged in community consultation during all phases of the project's development, and argued that one of the core roles of a council is to provide services supporting arts and culture, in conjunction with the more everyday tasks such as rubbish collection. Nevertheless, some questions remained even after the project's completion in April, 2000. In particular, the $50,000 price tag for FIDO was highlighted by people critical of the council's expenditure on public art, arguing that the money could have been better spent on more essential services.

Design

Erected in April 2000 and created by Ian Sinclair, Jackie Staude, David Davies and Alistair Knox, the work is constructed from recycled hardwood, standing 5.5 metres tall and approximately 8 metres long. The theme was chosen in order to "represent the precinct's dog-loving community", and it was originally designed to interact with viewers – sensors allowed it to respond the presence of onlookers by wagging its tail, wiggling its ears and lighting up at night.

According to the artists (from ''Creating Place: Public Art Policy and Practice in Darebin''):

The original ability to interact (including talk) with onlookers ceased to function prior to 2006, at which point the council was considering whether or not to upgrade the mechanism.

Impact

In spite of the initial controversy, the artists behind the project believed that ''FIDO'' has become accepted by the community. That was reflected in the council's decision to incorporate ''FIDO'' into the title of their public art plan in 2006: "Beyond Fido: Darebin City Council Public Art Strategy 2006 to 2015", and ''FIDO'' becoming part of the Fairfield Traders Association's logo in 2005. In spite of that acceptance, some opposition remained. In 2003, the "Revolutionary Council for the Removal of Bad Art in Public Places" named FIDO as one of the "six worst public art works in Australia" and threatened to set it alight. The council responded that the interstate interest in FIDO was flattering and described the work as a "much-loved sculpture".

''FIDO'' is one of more than 150 objects on the list of Australia's Big Things.

Gallery

Fairfield dog, Melbourne.JPG, FIDO at Fairfield Station, October 2009
StevenPam- Fairfield-Industrial-Dog-Object-20070601.jpg, Comparing the size of FIDO with people and trains, June 2007

References

External links

Wagging Tail- FIDO Sculpture, Fairfield 14/5/20
Video via YouTube

FIDO at Night 6/8/19
Video via YouTube

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Allegorical sculptures in Australia
Sculptures of dogs in Australia
Animatronic attractions
Buildings and structures in the City of Darebin
Big things in Victoria (state)
Outdoor sculptures in Melbourne
Public art in Melbourne
Sculpture gardens, trails and parks in Australia
Wooden sculptures in Australia
2000 sculptures
2000 establishments in Australia