| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | ART13640 |
| Collection type | Art |
| Measurement | Overall: 135 x 500 x 290 cm |
| Object type | Diorama |
| Physical description | figures: dry colour on lead; modelling: aluminium and plywood base with polystyrene, plaster, PVA, shellac and fibreglass surface with paint; background: 2-channel HD digital animation with sound |
| Location | Main Bld: First World War Gallery: Sinai Palestine 1917: Desert Patrol |
| Maker |
Gilbert, Charles Web McCubbin, Louis Frederick Mountford, Arlo |
| Place made | Australia: Victoria, Melbourne |
| Date made | 1927; 2002; 2014 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: © Australian War Memorial
This item is licensed under CC BY-NC
|
Desert patrol
Description
In the Sinai Desert it was necessary to keep constant watch not only for Turkish soldiers but also for Bedouin engaged in espionage. Here in the 'Desert patrol' diorama a light horse patrol is preparing to investigate some tracks they have noticed in the sand. Set around the areas of Jifjafa and Hammah during April - August 1916, the subject depicts the intense reconnaissance and patrolling undertaken by the light horse.
The figures were cast from some of the plasters made for the Romani diorama, which C Web. Gilbert started work on before resigning from the model scheme in 1923.
The background by artist Arlo Mountford spans eight hours and includes sound and animation. He spent months researching the Memorial's collection and archives, reading all he could about the Australian soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula. Mountford has animated works of art and photographs from the Memorial's collection, basing each one-hour episode of the animation on possible incidents or activities undertaken in the Sinai: for example, planes fly overhead and sandstorms appear in the desert landscape.