The journey of 'The kiss' - part 2

Sydney. City of bodies, city of skin, and this summer it seems, city of the kiss. It was just two months ago that we announced publicly that Rodin's world-famous sculpture was leaving Europe for the first time and coming to Sydney. And though we expected people to be pleased about that, we did not realise how passionate they would become. Building the kiss out of sand is a serious practical challenge. That is nothing compared to moving the real thing around the world. So here they are, Paolo and Francesca. We know they're great lovers. What we know now is that they are also great travellers. From London all the way to Sydney by plane, truck and forklift, three and a half tonnes of high passion. And I think the romantic in Rodin would have loved the story of their journey to Sydney, as if the kiss he created is immortal, unstoppable, spinning on through time and space. But of course it's not just about Rodin, it's also about you, the people who will come to see it. Who can resist an invitation that reads clothing optional? How are you feeling about the kiss in Sydney? Are you feeling the love? So what gives the kiss its staying power? Why are we all so drawn in by the sculpture? When you think about it, a kiss is a tricky thing for an artist to depict. It's a private event. It lives between two people. It defies public description. And what you realise is that Rodin is playing very seductively with that idea. The kiss is always partly hidden from us, blocked by arms or shadows and torsos. We have to move to see it. We're no longer just viewers looking on. We are collaborators looking for a way in. So the romance here is not just between Paolo and Francesca, it's also being conducted with us. 110 years since it was made, the kiss is still drawing us in to its embrace.