The Spheres (affectionately titled the 'Mall's Balls' by locals) is Rundle Mall's most iconic artwork.
Made from a pair of larger-than-life stainless steel spheres sitting one atop the other, the artwork measures just over 4 metres tall and was brought to life by Vienna-born artist Bert Flugelman.
Flugelman always wanted the artwork to be interacted with:
That’s why I like it. Kids go for it, they touch it, smear it and become part of it. Everybody can respond to it … After we put it up on the Sunday afternoon I went back on the Monday to watch community responses to it. A very little old lady came walking up to it and looked at it and then she opened up her handbag and took out her handkerchief and blew on the work and wiped it. I thought it was wonderful. I thought that’s alright. It works!
The Hindmarsh Building Society donated The Spheres to the City of Adelaide in 1977 to mark their centenary.
Today, The Spheres is a popular meeting place, with most Adelaide locals having met someone at the Mall's Balls when visiting Rundle Mall.
Their shape has become synonymous with Rundle Mall and Adelaide as a whole, appearing on posters, t-shirts — and even the Rundle Mall logo.
You'll often see kids playing with the artwork's reflections and tourists taking a photo of themselves using The Spheres as a backdrop.
