From The Archive: “Ethos”

Tom Bass' iconic Canberra sculpture, ‘Ethos’ (located outside the ACT Legislative Assembly), marked its 59th anniversary just before the new year, in December 2020. ABC News Canberra put together a ‘Classic Canberra’ video to mark the occasion, featuring footage of Tom working on the sculpture and its subsequent unveiling. Click here to view the video.

Ethos, was Canberra’s first public artwork and was unveiled in December 1961. It is a sculpture located outside the public entrance to the ACT Legislative Assembly Building. Ethos was commissioned by the National Capital Development Commission in 1959 and was co-sponsored by the Canberra Chamber of Commerce and cost 7,580 pounds. The Canberra Chamber of Commerce raised money for Ethos through the sale of miniature versions of the statue for 50 pounds, together with other donations from the community.

Conceived as "the spirit of the community", the sculpture is a representation of a graceful yet triumphant winged figure with arms raised above her head to receive a descending dove of peace and beauty. Ethos is made of copper and stands four metres tall. The six-sided saucer the figure stands in represents the hexagonal Civic Centre and bears a relief map of Canberra. The winged female figure is robed in embroidered cloth woven with emblems and figures representing the community. She holds aloft a bursting sun representing the emerging city’s culture and enlightenment.

The cement plinth under Ethos holds a time capsule containing a copy of The Canberra Times, an annual report of the Canberra Chamber of Commerce, and a list of contributors to the sponsorship by the Canberra Chamber of Commerce. Ethos was placed on the ACT heritage objects register in 1996.

Tom wrote a poem for Ethos, which you can read below.