Access the full text.
Sign up today, get DeepDyve free for 14 days.
Loading next page...
/lp/taylor-francis/making-a-mark-displays-of-regional-and-national-identity-in-the-big-fDub1xmLji
References (21)
-
D. Stymeist (2012)
The Totemic Art of Small-Town CanadaJournal of Canadian Studies/Revue d'études canadiennes, 46
-
Great Cod Almighty -
British Columbia (BC) 206 / 16 -
(2001)
Introduction -
(2011)
Population and Dwelling Counts, for Canada, Provinces and Territories -
Anna Sajecki (2018)
Explorer on the Trans-Canada: Cold War Tourism and the Early Years of the Canadian HighwayJournal of Canadian Studies/Revue d'études canadiennes, 51
-
A Shell-Shocked Town Prepares to Mourn the Prawn -
D. Kerr, C. Bond (1975)
Historical Atlas of Canada -
Back Roads: The Big Bogan Continues to Split Opinion in Nyngan -
(2014)
See Saunders's informative history for an in-depth description of the road networks and Canadian car vacations in this period -
Australia's Wettest Town Hopes to Draw Tourists with Giant Gumboot -
Big Banana Preparing for New Future after Treasurer Announces Funding for Bypass -
Local Icon Given the Raw Prawn -
Honk if You Like Roadside Kitsch: Wawa to Reveal New Giant Goose -
One in a Melon -
Prairies Lead Canada in Oversized Roadside Attractions -
(2004)
It Has Put Tourism in the Pink -
Of the 1,249 Big Things in Canada, 51.8 per cent have no clear construction date -
Bowen Pins Hopes on Giant Mango -
Wawa Goose a Canadian Icon -
Area of Australia -States and Territories
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- Copyright
- © 2022 International Australian Studies Association
- ISSN
- 1835-6419
- eISSN
- 1444-3058
- DOI
- 10.1080/14443058.2022.2144928
- Publisher site
- See Article on Publisher Site
Abstract
Big Things—oversized three-dimensional representations of everyday objects, often situated on the roadside—have received minimal academic attention to date, despite being a popular phenomenon across several countries including Australia and Canada. Sometimes dismissed as “lowbrow” or commercialised art forms, they are, in fact, landmarks that can be investigated as material evidence of the identities and values of the communities—local, regional and national—who build, maintain and visit them. This article takes a comparative approach to the 1,075 Big Things in Australia and 1,250 in Canada, revealing chronological, geographical and typological trends that highlight the capacity of these structures to represent their surrounding regions. In doing so, this article also demonstrates the value to be gained through studying Big Things as networks of meaning that evolve over time, reflecting the changing nature of their host societies.
Journal
Journal of Australian Studies – Taylor & Francis
Published: Apr 3, 2023
Keywords: Big things; Australia; Canada; cultural landscape; roadside attraction; tourism history