00:00What does sculpture do here and why is this such a special exhibition?
00:03I guess there are two different reasons.
00:06One is its accessibility.
00:08For people who don't even realise that they're going to come and see an art exhibition,
00:12they think they're just going for a walk.
00:14It brings sculpture and creativity into a broader group of people,
00:19as evidenced by those 12 million people who've seen Sculpture by the Sea.
00:23But the second piece is also about what these sculptures help us do.
00:29And I think it is about they bring us joy, they make us laugh and they make us reflect.
00:34Sculpture by the Sea is intended to be a gift to the people of Sydney.
00:38By being free to the public, we hope that we can add to our sense of community and community goodwill.
00:45I intentionally didn't want to speak about the tragedies of last year.
00:52Stephanie's work did that for us.
00:55Thirty years ago, this was a one day event with 64 sculptures and 25,000 visitors over 24 hours.
01:03That's not too bad.
01:04Now, almost half a million people walk these beaches to see this incredible art.
01:10A hundred sculptures over 18 days.
01:12A hundred sculptures over 18 days.
01:13And a hundred sculptures over 18 days.
01:17Alright.
