It’s been called an eyesore, a masterpiece and even the ‘Yellow Peril’ – but more than forty years after Melbourne first lost its mind over Ron Robertson-Swann’s ‘Vault’, there's talk that the iconic sculpture might soon be heading north.
As reported by the ABC, Mildura Rural City Council has launched a cheeky campaign to “bring ‘Vault’ home”, arguing that the bright yellow geometric installation – which currently sits outside the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art in Southbank – truly belongs in the regional city’s growing arts precinct.
Mildura’s tourism bosses say the move would cement the region’s status as a serious player in Victoria’s cultural landscape, joining the dots between its laneways, murals, coffee shops and bars. The plan? To install ‘Vault’ alongside its sibling sculpture ‘Beethoven’ (also by Robertson-Swann) on the front lawn of the Mildura Arts Centre, where it would be, in their words, “respected, celebrated and loved”.
Phil Stone, the council’s general manager of strategy and growth, admitted to the ABC that the bid is deliberately provocative. “Unless you ask, you don’t get, right?”
For context: ‘Vault’ was unveiled in Melbourne’s City Square in 1980, where it promptly divided the city. Critics called it ugly, the tabloids dubbed it ‘Yellow Peril’, and even Queen Elizabeth II suggested it be painted “a more agreeable colour”. It lasted just eight months before being removed, later finding a semi-permanent home outside ACCA in 2002.
According to the ABC, Robertson-Swann himself has thrown his support behind the Mildura bid, calling the reunion of ‘Vault’ and ‘Beethoven’ “an appropriate and meaningful tribute to their shared history”.
And Mildura isn’t mincing words. Deputy Mayor Helen Healy has declared that Melbourne is “on notice” and that “a fair offer has been made”.
“Mildura feeds Melbourne every day,” she said. “Those trucks that deliver produce could easily return with a work of art. We have the community, the space and the respect to give ‘Vault’ the welcome it deserves.”
The Bring Vault Home campaign builds on Mildura’s headline-grabbing Tropical North Victoria tourism campaign that launched last year with actor Shane Jacobson as ambassador. Jacobson has backed the move, telling the ABC that the city is ready to “step in and care for a piece of art that Melbourne has neglected for decades”.
If successful, the relocation would add another star to Mildura’s fast-growing creative constellation, joining projects like the Trail of Lights and the upcoming FOSO festival.
But despite Mildura’s eagerness to move ‘Vault’ out of the capital, Melbourne isn’t about to let go easily. When we spoke to the City of Melbourne, they shared quotes from the Lord Mayor Nick Reece, who stated that the ‘Vault’ “will be staying in Australia’s arts capital of Melbourne”.
In line with Mildura’s cheeky approach, Mayor Reece suggested that “Perhaps Mildura could follow regional Australia’s love of Big Things… Maybe Mildura could have the Giant Grape or Giant Orange”.
So as it stands, ‘Vault’ is staying put. Stay tuned.
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