The Mall’s Pigs

Enjoyed meeting the 4 pigs, Oliver looking in the rubbish bin, Horatio, Augusta and Truffle.

Well, the Malls Pigs convinced me that Unilocal is more than just a review site, because I had never thought to write a review on these four brass omnivores that are scrounging around the western end of Rundle Mall, but then I discovered that there was not one, nor two, but ten reviews of these little critters that made me realise that this is simply more than a place for reviews of pubs, bars, and dress shops. In fact, I sort of wonder whether this is something unique to the Adelaide crowd, but then again Google, nor Trip Advisor have any mention of these four pigs.
I’m not sure when these critters appeared because it was like one day they weren’t there, and then the next day I suddely realised that there was this brass pig scrounging through one of the pigs, however I simply took note and continued about my daily business.
Then I discovered they have names — Oliver, Truffles, Horatio, and Augusta. I even payed them a visit to make sure that these weren’t something that somebody made up and sure enough, underneath their snouts, is a little plaque with their names on them (as well as the name of the person who came up with the name for the pig). I’m even told they have to put up with drunken people trying to take them for a ride, however all I’ve ever seen is kids running up to them and giving them a pat.
At least they don’t bite.

Like the giant cockroach that sat in our mall for a good year, someone was responsible for approving the addition of 4 brass pig statues into the centre of our town.
That someone was probably a simple man who thought these jolly little snorters would be a cute attraction and add a bit more weirdness to our little town that could. That someone was very wrong and is also why I’m giving Charlotte, Bert and Pumpernickel (or whatever the hell their names are) 5 stars.
I get so much joy out of watching tourists pose with these creatures, of seeing drunk men do abhorrent things to them on a Saturday night and of watching little kids find such amusement in climbing all over the pigs. I once saw a tourist with a leash tied around the snout of Alvin. God knows where she got the leash. Had she brought it all the way from overseas with her, having heard of Adelaide’s magical pigs? Did she go and buy one from a pet shop or $ 2 shop in the Mall just so she could pose with a pig and pretend it was her pet? I don’t know but it tickled my funny bone to think of.
These pigs are a rip-​snorter for all the wrong reasons but they are certainly doing their bestest to keep Adelaide weird.

A light hearted sculpture providing family fun, or a thinly veiled comment on our ravenous consumer culture? Maybe neither. Probably both.
As much fun as these delightful hogs must have giving rides to countless youngsters and those young at heart, aren’t we all just rummaging through the garbage? Whether it’s for the shoes we ‘need’ or the best and most perfect coffee, most of us have waded through a truckload of garbage. Or two. And much of that garbage we have paid for.
But do not despair fellow consumers! The pigs are happy, (you can see it on their shining faces) and you too can be happy. So pat the pigs, buy the shoes, have a coffee, have a drink (or two), then come back and ride the pigs! After all, if to be a pig is to enjoy oneself, is it not better to be a pig?

Everyday they’re trufflin’. But sadly for Oliver, Horatio and Augusta they are not very likely to be finding truffles in those bins.
These pigs are more likely subject to being sat on numerous times during a drunken photo rage. Their evening will mostly consist of, «try and make it look like it’s sniffing my bum, haaar haar haaar» or «look I’m riding the pig tag me on facebook, lolz», «Have you heard of whale rider I’m the pig rider!, make sure you use a good instagram filter».
In saying all this, I have partaken in pig photos, there’s not much else between hojos on rundle and the start of Hindley, and in drunk land, that’s kilometres of stumbling, so stopping in at the pigs is a great pit stop on your journey.

Some like them fried, some like them cured, a roast never goes astray but for me bronzed is the only way. For the Suidae family fan it would be a rare treat to see these overly intelligent animals immortalised for all to see on a daily basis. I believe they are considered up there with the dolphin but you don’t see any of those gracing the Mall’s hallowed pavers. Nope for good old Adelaide it’s the common Sus that is mounted everyday and rode with the understanding that every backside that has visited has taken the time to polish a mirrored sheen upon these porky plodders.

They ruin a perfectly good bin!!!
Yes, the bin with the pig rummaging through it is sealed!
Anyway, these three pigs are an iconic part of Rundle Mall.
Probably the second most recognisable landmark in the mall, second only to The Malls Balls.
Many times have I seen obvious tourists posing with the pigs, and many times have I seen drunken humans riding them, all of which are being photographed.
I’ll include that I may have been involved in one or more of these photographed.
The Pigs are one of the main tourist attractions within the city, it isn’t necessarily much, but definitely worth a look at!
I enjoy the bitter irony of it really. A sculpture of pigs rummaging through rubbish, an interesting representation of Rundle Mall’s shoppers.

Oink oink! These little piggies certainly went to town on this one.
These life-​like art sculptures sit down Rundle Mall, digging into the bins and «rubbish». Although I find the idea of these funny, the kids always love playing on them and the tourists are always having photos with them, I am slightly reserved about them.
They are after all some bronze pigs, literally pigging out in the bins area. Very unique but not necessarily nice to look at. But it grabs people’s attention I suppose, so it works.

A little disconcerting and insinuating.
Kudos to the artist though, the pigs are masterfully crafted which is perhaps why I find them slightly repulsive. Granted I have ridden one of the pigs on a drunken escapade while walking from Rundle St to the less refined Hindley.
To me though, I find them unsightly, I think there could be something much better in it’s place. This is like the kind of art where you stand there looking at it and firstly trying to figure out wtf the point of it is and secondly secretly thinking that you could come up with a better concept than this tomfoolery!!!
Anyway, Horatio makes a good seat.

I love a piece of art with a sense of humour. Artist and Sculptor Marguerite Derricourt clearly has a sense of humour and she’s the creator of my favourite piece of art in Rundle Mall, «A Day Out». Derricourt’s work is of four, life sized, bronze pigs Oliver, Horatio, Augusta and Truffles. They are incredibly life like and I defy anyone to not do a double take when they see them for the first time.
There’s rarely a time you walk down the Mall that someone is not posing for a photo with the pigs. They’re popular with adults and kids alike. Kids love sit on top of Augusta to pose for their piccies but its funny how most people tend to ignore Oliver who is on his hind legs and digging through a bin for scraps. Even though the food he’s digging through is also sculpted and the bin he’s looking into isn’t an actual bin. Perhaps there’s a perceived ‘dirtiness’ about his actions. I personally love Oliver! Augusta appears to have a smile on her face while Truffles looks like she’s actually looking for truffles and Oliver is sitting on his bottom admiring the passersby.
When I travelled in Europe there were certain landmarks I wanted to see and have my photo taken with. I’d like to think Rundle Mall’s pigs are viewed much the same way by people who visit Adelaide. They’re cute, quirky and with loads of personality.

The Mall’s Pigs is the common name given to a whimsical group of bronzes by contemporary South African/​Australian Artist Marguerite Derricourt permenantly installed towards the Western end of Rundle Mall.
Entitled «A day out,» the work presents three Bronze Pigs, named (by way of public competition) Hoatio, Oliver and Augusta. The Pigs are beatifully crafted and wonderfully expressive. Horatio has been sculpted so as to appear as if up on his back trotters scouraging through a bin, Derricourt has even gone to the pains of including a fake bin with cast bronze rubbish. The remaining two pigs are represented as sitting and standing respectively, both bearing lively gestures and expressions.
The Mall’s Pigs are especially popular with children who love to climb and clamble all over them. They are also an example of interesting well crafted contemporary public sculpture within the city of Adelaide.