Take a trip to the City Beach foreshore and you’ll notice a new addition to the beachfront: a brand-new sculpture by local artist Simon Youngleson, commissioned by DonateLife as part of their wider social media awareness campaign, the Life Project, with the tag #makethisthemoment.
This campaign is designed to encourage community discussion around organ and tissue donation, and to increase the number of registrations on the Australian Organ and Donor Register.
Artist Simon Youngleson with his piece. Images courtesy of Steve Wise from 27Creative
North of the City Beach Surf Club, the sculpture features three larger-than-life human figures, measuring up to three metres tall and weighing over 400 kilograms. The artist, Simon Youngleson has designed the artwork with the aim to connect visitors and the community space, encouraging people to touch and interact with the piece.
“The three figures are meant to represent anyone enjoying the spectacular seascape and delighting in the joy of life. They could be family, friends or strangers – anyone. We cannot help but create meaning when we look at human figures in the landscape. What are they looking at? What can they see? What might they say if they could talk? It is my hope that as people interact with the sculpture, it will remind us to celebrate life and reflect on the selfless generosity of organ and tissue donors.”
Whilst most Australians are in support of organ donation, only 1 in 3 are currently registered as organ donors. Simon Towler, the acting State Medical Director of DonateLife, said “It is our hope that this unique sculpture will become a discussion point and a catalyst for action. No one should die waiting for a transplant, and we encourage West Australians to make this the moment to register as an organ donor. We acknowledge that this can often be a difficult conversation to have one’s family, but we hope it is one that people will choose to have. "
The outdoors and the ocean are intrinsic parts of life in WA, and this iconic position overlooking City Beach is a fittingly beautiful space for the ‘Life Project’ sculpture.
The sculpture is available for viewing at City Beach any time of day, and if you feel so inclined, it takes 60 seconds to register for organ and tissue donation, through this website.