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Boonji Spaceman

Why Perth’s Ore Obelisk Campaign Wants the City to “Save the Kebab”

Perth’s Save the Kebab campaign wants the safety-damaged Ore Obelisk restored, as the City accepted a donated Boonji Spaceman with reported installation costs.

By ThatPainter Team 4 min read
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Perth’s “Save the Kebab” campaign is calling for the Ore Obelisk—a 15-metre sculpture removed from Stirling Gardens in 2021 after safety concerns—to be restored and returned. The debate sharpened after the City of Perth accepted a donated Boonji Spaceman for the gardens, with reported transport and installation costs. The City’s reported plan was for the new work to remain there for a year, but the available reporting does not confirm its current location or whether the obelisk will be restored.

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Why the Ore Obelisk was removed

Designed by City of Perth town planner Paul Ritter, the Ore Obelisk was erected in Stirling Gardens in 1971. Its stacked geological specimens represented the expansion of mining in Western Australia, and the sculpture also marked the state reaching a population of one million, according to ABC News.

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The 15-metre work was dismantled and put into storage in 2021 after engineering reports found it unsafe and a risk to public safety, ABC News and PerthNow reported. The removal was therefore presented as a safety response, not as a decision that the sculpture had no artistic or historical value.

What the Save the Kebab campaign wants

Public-art consultant Helen Curtis launched the Save the Kebab campaign to have the Ore Obelisk restored and reinstated. Curtis says the City should care for local heritage and commission local artists. The campaign is not simply an objection to a new sculpture: Curtis told PerthNow, “This isn’t about rejecting new art,” adding, “It’s about respecting and preserving art that tells Perth’s story.”

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The reports say the obelisk would need significant restoration, including replacement of its conglomerate rock elements. They do not provide a confirmed restoration budget or establish that a later council decision approved the work. PerthNow reported on 7 May 2025 that restoration was due to be discussed at a June Council meeting; the outcome of that discussion is not confirmed in the cited coverage.

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Why the City accepted the Boonji Spaceman

The City of Perth voted unanimously to accept the Boonji Spaceman, a seven-metre work donated by US artist Brendan Murphy. PerthNow reported that $250,000 was approved for transport and installation. ABC News separately described the costs as believed to be between $150,000 and $250,000. The sculpture was donated; its delivery and installation were not reported as cost-free.

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ABC reported that the work was unveiled in Stirling Gardens in May 2025. The Perth version is called Lightning, and its chest bears the words “City of Light.” ABC traced that association to 1962, when Perth residents reportedly turned on lights to acknowledge John Glenn’s orbit of Earth. The City’s stated plan was for the sculpture to remain in the gardens for a year, then move to another city location that had not been named in the report. That was a plan at the time, not confirmation of where the work is now.

Murphy said he sees his role as bringing people together and inspiring them, and rejected the idea that his work was disconnected from the city. He told ABC, “First of all I’m not an American artist. I’m an artist, and my role … is to bring people together and to try and create works that inspire people,” and said the Perth version had been personalized. His description of himself as “one of the top-selling artists in the world” was his own characterization, not independent market data.

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How the two sculptures represent different ideas of public art

Ore Obelisk Boonji Spaceman
Designed by local town planner Paul Ritter and erected in Stirling Gardens in 1971. Donated by artist Brendan Murphy; the seven-metre Perth version is called Lightning.
Uses geological specimens to evoke Western Australia’s mining expansion and marked the state reaching a population of one million. Its “City of Light” inscription connects the figure to a story about Perth residents acknowledging John Glenn’s 1962 space mission.
Dismantled in 2021 after engineering reports raised safety concerns; campaigners seek restoration and reinstatement. Accepted by unanimous City vote; PerthNow reported $250,000 for transport and installation, while ABC reported that those costs were believed to be $150,000–$250,000.

The contrast is not simply between local and foreign art. Curtis and her campaign argue for preserving a work rooted in Perth’s history and for commissioning local artists. Murphy says the Spaceman’s Perth version has a local connection. City of Perth Deputy Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds told PerthNow, “Art is inherently subjective and often sparks debate, inviting people to interpret and respond in their own way.”

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What is known about restoration and the Spaceman’s location

The available reports establish the obelisk’s removal and storage, the campaign’s restoration demand, the City’s acceptance of the Spaceman, and a one-year placement plan for Stirling Gardens announced in May 2025. They do not establish whether the June 2025 restoration discussion led to a decision, whether restoration funding was later approved, or where the Spaceman is now. A later council record or City announcement would be needed to confirm those outcomes.

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