By Nadean Weller
Monash University fine arts students are taking their work beyond the boundaries of traditional galleries and bringing art to the people.
Earlier this year, Ararat in western Victoria was besieged by 19 third-year honours and masters sculpture students, who exhibited their work in a variety of public sites as part of the Next Wave Festival.
The exhibition was a joint project involving the Monash University Sculpture department, the Ararat Art Gallery and the Next Wave Festival, a biennial event that show-cases the talent of young emerging artists. This year's theme was 'distance'.
Exhibition curator Mr Malcom Bywaters said taking part in the exhibition was a fantastic learning experience and achievement for students. "The students rose to the challenge and produced high-quality work," he said.
Mr
Bywaters, a lecturer in sculpture and professional practice at Monash's Caulfield
campus, said the exhibition was a successful example of different organisations
working together. "The exhibition allowed the students to display their sculptures
in the professional environment of the Ararat Art Gallery while still having
the educational support of the university," he said.
Display sites ranged from Alexandra Lake, a reflection pond at the rear of Ararat's performing arts centre, to the foyers of the Ararat Community College, Ararat TAFE campus, Centrelink and the municipal offices.
The Ararat community was enthusiastic about the venture, and crowds formed to watch the sculptures being installed. When one student was ready to brave the icy waters of Alexandra Lake, residents offered to turn off sprinklers and arrange boats so he could install his aquatic creation.
The
logistics of staging such an exhibition were complex. Mr Bywaters visited Ararat
and photographed potential sites around the city. The artists then chose locations
that inspired or appealed to them and began creating sculptures that would not
only encompass the exhibition's theme but also complement the chosen environments.
The pieces were created and refined at Caulfield campus over a two-month period.
The fine arts require and uphold freedom of thought and expression. For one artist, though, creativity and originality were not enough. Third-year student Dan Green braved the freezing water temperatures of Alexandra Lake to install his sculptured creation. Wearing a wetsuit to combat the cold, Dan was philosophical: "I really suffered for my art in this case."
He spray-painted hundreds of plastic soft-drink bottles which were then floated in 1.5 metres of water, anchored by strings that were attached to stakes hammered into the bed of the lake. "The distance theme fitted in with the time and space between Monash and Ararat, as well as the old idea of sending messages in bottles to make contact with others," Dan said.
The
sculptures ranged from a traditional bronze bust on a white pedestal to more
abstract works that utilised a variety of media.
Naomi Darling floated small vases in the reflection pond at the rear of the performing arts centre. The delicate vessels were filled with methane and set alight, creating a brilliant effect at night. Matthew Slocam fashioned a large yoyo and placed it in the foyer of the National Mutual Centre. On the front lawn of the reception centre, David Fitzsimmons sank a large Hills clothesline, minus the arms, and draped it with delicate and fragile vine leaves.
The works all reflected a con-temporary viewpoint. "The sculptures were not hard-edged, like 'Yellow Peril', for example, but reflected gene-rational issues happening right now," Mr Bywaters said.