Roos by Jeff Thomson
“Roos” was commissioned by Canberra Airport as part of our commitment to public art and is the 14th major sculpture in the airport precinct. The sculpture consists of two males and a female with a little joey tucked away and is located adjacent to the main runway at the north of the airfield.
Canberra Airport commissioned the work from New Zealand artist Jeff Thomson after seeing a picture of a previous kangaroo sculpture by the artist. Uncannily lifelike from a distance, at three metres high the sculptures are much larger than real eastern grey kangaroos. But the simple forms belie the thousands of hours work Thomson spent in preparation and creating them.
Crafted from recycled corrugated iron, up to 15 tones of grey have been used to add texture and get the look just right. The pieces of iron were moulded around a base armature and riveted into place. The lack of welding means the sculpture will not rust.