'Mavis' is a sculpture made by Canadian artist Roger Gaudreau in 2007. Part of a series called Migration of Rhinoceros, Gaudreau's rhinoceros sculptures appear in locations as diverse as Quebec, Italy, France, Taiwan, Tasmania, Finland and Malaysia.
'Mavis' is one of eleven location-specific sculptures raising awareness of the plight of the rhinoceros. Far from their native habitat, these large figures address the issues of migration and biodiversity loss.
The premise of Gaudreau's international herd is that the endangered rhinoceros - hunted for their horns and forced from natural habitat by climate change - have migrated and adapted, taking on new forms and local materials in each location.
Despite being large, armoured animals, Gaudreau draws attention to their frailty – sometimes working with organic materials that deteriorate over time to leave only a ghost-like shell and working in temperate locations with industrial materials incongruous with their survival.
Making 'Mavis'
Gaudreau created 'Mavis' during an artist's residency at the School of Creative Arts in Inveresk. He used welded steel to create a cage-like armature in the shape of a rhinoceros, that was then filled with pieces of bluestone.
Each rhinoceros in the series has a name except one, usually named for a person who worked with Gaudreau on the project. In this case, he chose the name after a visit to the Museum just beside the School of Art in Inveresk where he saw a photo of a woman working in an ammunition factory during the Second World War whose name was Mavis.
What is Bluestone?
In Tasmania, bluestone is a type of dolerite or subvolcanic rock. Bluestone is an important part of Launceston's material heritage. Many of the town's early nineteenth century buildings used dolerite from local quarries in their construction. Tasmanian bluestone is similar to types of dolerite found in Britain and used in the construction of Stonehenge.
Part of the University of Tasmania's Fine Art Collection, you can see 'Mavis' for free at the Inveresk Campus.
Image Details: Sculpture of a rhinoceros made of stainless-steel rods and bluestone. 'Mavis' was donated to the University of Tasmania by Canadian artist Roger Gaudreau during his 2007 residency at the School of Creative Arts Inveresk, Launceston. Catalogue number UTL 2007/001