Reaching for the stars

... or the basketball, as the case may be.

This is the huge sculpture of the wheelchair basketball player from the Sydney 2000 Olympics and Paralympics. She now sits outside the Visitors Centre of the Australian Institute of Sport in Bruce. The gymnast is also at the AIS, while the sprinter remains in Sydney.

Designed by Dominique Sutton and commissioned by AMP, the three massive figures once adorned Sydney's Centrepoint Tower (aka Sydney Tower), nearly 300 metres above street level. They remained there between July 1998 and 2003, when they were removed, although apparently they were supposed to go in 2001, presumably when Westfield bought the tower from AMP. Up to 15 metres high, and each weighing between 4 and 6.5 tonnes, installation (and removal) were big engineering challenges, involving a helicopter and some incredible maneouvering.

This photo was taken yesterday evening, as the last of the light disappeared.