User:Afig1354/sandbox

The Gilgamesh Statue at University of Sydney - The structure gives the illusion that it is made out of concrete/stone when in fact it is made out of bronze - The structure is holding on to a lion with his left hand as if showing that the lion is being tamed - His whole outfit is made out of different things *only the right left and the arms are not covered by the robe-like outfit *his right hand seems to be holding a knife that is piercing through his right leg *the whole outfit is looks like made out of many frill and tassels *it has snake jewellery wrapping around his upper arms and his wrists on both sides -His eyes do not show that they are dead but not also alive, somewhere in between - Its significance to where it is located within the University premises and if he's story has some kind of importance to the university.

Context - The statue of Gilgamesh was a gift given from the Sydney Syrian community in the year 2000. It is located in the Camperdown/Darlington Campus of University of Sydney between the Old Teachers College Bldg and the Women's Sports Centre and it is facing towards the Charles Perkins Centre. (Sydney, 2015) - The statue was given as a present to mark the sesquicentenary of the University. - The rhetorical situation of the text remarks on the strength and dedication of Gilgamesh who did an extensive search for immortality and its relation to the students studying at the university to persevere and strive for the goal. - Gilgamesh was the King of Uruk and he is best known from The Epic of Gilgamesh that were written between 2150-1400 BCE (Mark, 2015) - Gilgamesh was a man and a demi-god being the son of the goddess Ninsun

Purpose - From the point of view of a viewer of the statue, the purpose of the text is to inform the present and future staff and students about the story of the Epic Gilgamesh and the legends that surround him especially for his search of immortality.

Author - Lewis Batros, who was the artist of the Gilgamesh statue is of Assyrian descent. He is known for his many works involving the Assyrian community. He has designed monuments that had a controversial outcome of its unveiling (Aina.org, 2015). There is not much known about the artist. However, from his portrayal of Gilgamesh, it looks like that the artist both adore and give a sense of humour to the painting. The extraordinary and extravagant portrayal of Gilgamesh shows that this statue meant a lot to Batros, but due to the extensive use of tassels on his clothing, it gives a sense of humour as if comparing the clothes of Gilgamesh to curtains and drapes.

Audience - The intended audience for the Gilgamesh statue are those who are regularly studying, working or using the facilities at the university. As mentioned above, Gilgamesh was known for his extensive search for immorality, the artist tried to portray to the intended audience that there is no stopping anyone on what you want to do especially in your studies and your career.

The Text - The medium used for the pedestal of the statue is cement however the statue itself is made out of bronze (Museumvictoria.com.au, 2015). - The statue is easily accessible if one is near the premises of the Old Teachers College and the Women's Sports Centre. § It can also be easily accessed and viewed by passersby as there is a road (Western Ave) situated in front of the statue - The statue has many motifs especially on its clothing. § It involves different aspects such as tassels, fringes, plain, floral borders § The clothing looks like a Toga that is very asymmetrical because only the right lower leg of Gilgamesh is visible while the rest of his body is covered § There is also the snake jewellery present around his arm. § The lion that he has his left arm around shows strength and nobility as he was a king § The statue also shows the male masculinity that Gilgamesh probably had (Atac, 2004) Comment - The statue was given by the Assyrian community to the university as a celebratory gift for the 150 years since its opening and service. Gilgamesh was once an Assyrian king and it was fitting to give to the university an exemplar of their pride, their strength and perseverance and the conquest of finding compassion, friendship, courage, love and peace (Abusch, 2001). - Also, since the artist, Lewis Batros, was also of Assyrian descent it was more fitting and probably has more knowledge about Gilgamesh and its history

Experience of the text - Seeing the statue in an environment where it was covered with trees created a feeling of mystery. It felt like there was more to than the story that was told (or inscribed) on the plate. The location of the statue allowed it to be quite visible to the public. At the time of the physical sighting of the statue, there was no personal connection with the artist of the statue as no background history and information was known about the statue. However, after researching and knowing more about the story of who the statue is, there was a connection between its relevance as to why that King of Assyria before was chosen as a celebratory gift to the university from the Assyrian Community. - Furthermore, looking closely into the detail on the art of the statue creates a sense of importance and glorification towards the statue.