Vignette 100: Wangu Poles

The Wangu Poles stand by the northern entrance to the University’s North Terrace campus. They frame the Kaurna Learning Circle, an open-air meeting place with a ceremonial fire pit.

The art installation was designed by alumnus Paul Herzich, a Kaurna and Ngarrindjeri artist. It consists of wangu (seven) large aluminium poles, ranging in height from 6 m to 8 m, laser cut with thousands of hand-drawn circles to tell an ancient Kaurna story of the relationship between the Wardlipari ‘the Milky Way’ and the Karrawirra Pari or River Torrens. The artwork is illuminated and can be seen from the other side of the river, day, and night.

The Karrawirra Pari has sustained the Kaurna people over thousands of years and continues to do so. This artwork embodies traditional ritual Kaurna knowledge and celebrates the connection to land, time and place.

The University of Adelaide: 150 Years of Making History.  Providing a place. p.138