As I am currently living in Bentleigh, and not my home, I don’t have access to all my camera lenses, so for this weeks challenge I’ve dug up some images from a couple of years ago that I took while undertaking an artist residency in Beaufort, Victoria.
At this time large parts of Victoria were under drought conditions, and many of our waterways were extremely low, if not dried up.
The aim of this residency was to draw attention to the environmental impacts of climate change by creating an installation on one of the many regional lakes in the area. I chose Lake Beaufort, one of many rural lakes, which was extremely low at the time. In fact at this time Lake Wendouree, Lake Learmonth nd Lake Burrumbeat were completely dry.
During the first few days of the residency I contructed some large abstracted bird forms from recycled clay on the shore line of the lake – which was actually exposed lake bed. After the forms had dried they were moved into the water and allowed to disintergrate. The process was documented photographically, as is the practice for ephemeral installations. Many of the photos I took using the near and far method in order to highlight the exposed lake bed.
An exhibition of selected photographs from the residency was later exhibited at the Ararat Regional Art Gallery.
The bouy in the foreground was once in the water, it now sits marooned on the dry lake bed. The length of the chain indicates how deep the water was at this point. The clay sculptures can be seen in the distance on the waterline.
The clay birds can be seen in the far distance on the waterline. The foreground is dry lake bed.
Late afternoon View of the dry lakebed. Debris that was once beneath the water is now exposed. Clay sculptures in the distance.
The clay sculptures are now in the water.
Footprints
Nice collection. Maybe I like the first and the fourth the most. It is the sharpest of all. Nice work.
Posted by Albadr Nasution | September 12, 2012, 11:44 pmThanks for the kind words Albadr 🙂
Posted by Dawn Whitehand | September 13, 2012, 12:39 amMy kind of ART and photography! Can’t choose a favorite, Dawn, because they are all so well composed and the sculptures very enigmatic… mmm. You know, I want to look at that cool looking red buoy which should logically dominate the barren landscape but my eye is draw in to the sculptures. Again, fantastic composition!
Posted by caliroe | September 13, 2012, 2:54 amWOW, thankyou so much Caliroe 🙂
Posted by Dawn Whitehand | September 13, 2012, 3:04 amhow very interesting showing the devastation of drought cannot choose one either
Posted by jas45 | September 13, 2012, 3:34 amThankyou 🙂 A lot of my artwork has an environmental theme/message as its inspiration.
Posted by Dawn Whitehand | September 13, 2012, 8:28 am