Found objects from the recent Great Ocean Road bushfires will be given new life as contemporary artworks thanks to a community project launched today (12 March 2016) as part of the 2016 Lorne Sculpture Biennale.
Melbourne-based artist Shoso Shimbo will work with Wye River community members during the Biennale to transform salvaged objects into sculptural pieces that will be displayed on the Wye River foreshore. Ten smaller sculptures will also go on display at the Wye River General Store and Wye Beach Hotel.
The State Government provided $15,000 to support the initiative, where community members and Biennale organisers joined forces to establish a project to commemorate the devastating fires over the summer period, celebrate the resilience and spirt of the community and give visitors another reason to visit the town.
Shoso is a renowned artist with more than 20 years’ experience creating large-scale sculptures using objects ranging from flowers to wood and metal. He has previously participated in the Lorne Sculpture Biennale and London’s Chelsea Flower Show.
Over four weekends of the Biennale, Shoso will work in Wye River to create sculptures using charred wood and debris that has been collected by community members.
The final sculptures will be displayed along the foreshore as part of the Lorne Sculpture Biennale’s closing celebrations.
The 2016 Lorne Sculpture Biennale runs until Sunday 3 April 2016 and the Wye River project will be active on the foreshore each weekend.
For full Biennale program details, visit lornesculpture.com
The Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley said: “Creativity plays a role in many aspects of our lives, and this project is a great example of how creativity can help community recovery.”
“Congratulations to Shosho and participating artists, to the community members involved and to the Biennale team for bringing this project together. It will take items that symbolise an event that shook the region and create artworks that reflect not just loss and destruction but beauty, life and the future of the Wye River community.”
Lorne Sculpture Biennale Curator Julie Collins said: “When the Christmas Day bushfires raged through this region, the people of the Great Ocean Road came together. This project was born out of that same community spirit.”
“We thank the people of Wye River for inviting the Biennale into their lives. We encourage locals and visitors to visit over the next month to see this project evolve, and we thank the artists for saying yes without hesitation in support of the Wye River community.”
Source: A state government media release
