Map the Miner
Encyclopedia
Map the Miner, also known as "Map Kernow" or the "Son of Cornwall", is a 7 metres (23 ft) statue commemorating the Cornish
mining history of the town of Kapunda in South Australia
. Built by Ben van Zetten, the statue stands to at the southern entrance to the town, and is regarded as one of Australia's Big Things
. The statue was destroyed by fire in 2006, but it was rebuilt and rededicated 12 months later.
artist living in a nearby town. Van Zetten agreed to design and build the work, so Davidson turned to the local Rotary Club for support, who then organised a successful community fundraising campaign.
Located on Gawler Road to the south of the town, the statue took three months to build and was opened during Australia's Bicentenary
celebrations by the South Australian Minister for Mines and Energy, Ron Payne. The ceremony included a speech by the Cornish Association's Ron Daw, and Trelawny
was played while participants "partied on saffron cake
and clotted cream
".
The original statue stood until 1 June 2006 when it was destroyed. A local teenager poured Eranol (molecular iodine
) around the statue, splashing some of the accelerant
on the statue's right leg. Although his intent was to take a photo of the statue surrounded by a "ring of fire", and he did not intend to cause significant harm to the work, the resulting fire caused worth of damage and the statue had to be demolished.
Fortunately the statue was insured for , and the original artist—Ben van Zetten—agreed to rebuild the work. The new statue was rededicated on the site of the old on 3 June 2007, just over a year after the original was destroyed. The replacement Map the Miner was said to be "much more resistant to damage" than the original, and the artist stated that the new version looked "far better than before", as the manufacturing process allowed the bronze colouring to be more apparent.
frame that was attached to a concrete
base. The artist then layered fiberglass
over the frame, using "freehand grinding and chipping" techniques to form the final texture. The process took approximately three months. The statue stood 7 metres (23 ft) tall and depicted a "mid-nineteenth century" miner, wearing a felt hat and bearing a mallet
in one hand and a pick
over his shoulder. A candle was attached to his hat, and spare candles were worn around his neck. The new statue takes the same form, but unlike the original cold cast bronze was employed in the construction.
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
mining history of the town of Kapunda in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. Built by Ben van Zetten, the statue stands to at the southern entrance to the town, and is regarded as one of Australia's Big Things
Australia's Big Things
The Big Things of Australia are a loosely related set of large structures or sculptures. There are estimated to be over 150 such objects around the country, the first being the Big Scotsman in Medindie, Adelaide, which was built in 1963....
. The statue was destroyed by fire in 2006, but it was rebuilt and rededicated 12 months later.
History
The Kapunda copper mine operated from 1844 to 1878, and was the first metal mine in Australia to achieve success. It produced over £1 million worth of copper ore, and relied heavily on Cornish immigrants for its operation. In 1986 local resident John Davidson suggested that a memorial be built to commemorate the influence that the Cornish miners had on Kapunda's (and South Australia's) development, and he sought funding through South Australia's sesquicentenary celebrations. Although funding was not forthcoming, the process brought him into contact with Ben van Zetten, a DutchDutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
artist living in a nearby town. Van Zetten agreed to design and build the work, so Davidson turned to the local Rotary Club for support, who then organised a successful community fundraising campaign.
Located on Gawler Road to the south of the town, the statue took three months to build and was opened during Australia's Bicentenary
Australian Bicentenary
The bicentenary of Australia was celebrated in 1970 on the 200th anniversary of Captain James Cook landing and claiming the land, and again in 1988 to celebrate 200 years of permanent European settlement.-1970:...
celebrations by the South Australian Minister for Mines and Energy, Ron Payne. The ceremony included a speech by the Cornish Association's Ron Daw, and Trelawny
The Song of the Western Men
"The Song of the Western Men" was written by Robert Stephen Hawker. It is also known by the title of "Trelawny".Hawker wrote the song in 1824, telling of events that took place in 1688. When the song first appeared many thought it to be a contemporary record of events, although in fact the song...
was played while participants "partied on saffron cake
Saffron bun
A saffron bun, in Swedish lussebulle or lussekatt, is a rich yeast dough bun that is flavoured with saffron and cinnamon or nutmeg and contains currants. In Sweden, no cinnamon or nutmeg is used in the bun, and raisins are used instead of currants. The buns are baked into many traditional shapes,...
and clotted cream
Clotted cream
Clotted cream is a thick cream made by indirectly heating full-cream cow's milk using steam or a water bath and then leaving it in shallow pans to cool slowly. During this time, the cream content rises to the surface and forms 'clots' or 'clouts'...
".
The original statue stood until 1 June 2006 when it was destroyed. A local teenager poured Eranol (molecular iodine
Iodine
Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The name is pronounced , , or . The name is from the , meaning violet or purple, due to the color of elemental iodine vapor....
) around the statue, splashing some of the accelerant
Accelerant
Accelerants play a major role in chemistry. Most chemical reactions can be hastened with an accelerant. Accelerants alter a chemical bond, speed up a chemical process, or bring organisms back to homeostasis. Accelerants are not necessarily catalysts as they may be consumed by the process...
on the statue's right leg. Although his intent was to take a photo of the statue surrounded by a "ring of fire", and he did not intend to cause significant harm to the work, the resulting fire caused worth of damage and the statue had to be demolished.
Fortunately the statue was insured for , and the original artist—Ben van Zetten—agreed to rebuild the work. The new statue was rededicated on the site of the old on 3 June 2007, just over a year after the original was destroyed. The replacement Map the Miner was said to be "much more resistant to damage" than the original, and the artist stated that the new version looked "far better than before", as the manufacturing process allowed the bronze colouring to be more apparent.
Design and construction
The core of the original statue was a steelSteel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
frame that was attached to a concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
base. The artist then layered fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
over the frame, using "freehand grinding and chipping" techniques to form the final texture. The process took approximately three months. The statue stood 7 metres (23 ft) tall and depicted a "mid-nineteenth century" miner, wearing a felt hat and bearing a mallet
Mallet
A mallet is a kind of hammer, usually of rubber,or sometimes wood smaller than a maul or beetle and usually with a relatively large head.-Tools:Tool mallets come in different types, the most common of which are:...
in one hand and a pick
Pickaxe
A pickaxe or pick is a hand tool with a hard head attached perpendicular to the handle.Some people make the distinction that a pickaxe has a head with a pointed end and a flat end, and a pick has both ends pointed, or only one end; but most people use the words to mean the same thing.The head is...
over his shoulder. A candle was attached to his hat, and spare candles were worn around his neck. The new statue takes the same form, but unlike the original cold cast bronze was employed in the construction.