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WALK - The Great South West Walk Art Project
Carmel Wallace
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View media release View Invitation View Itinerary
An exhibition derived from the experiences and reflections of artists undertaking Victoria’s Great South West Walk is set to begin its tour of Australia in late 2007.
Titled Walk, the exhibition will not only showcase outstanding and innovative contemporary works of art across a range of mediums, including film, sound, textiles and sculpture, but will also provide a comprehensive interpretation of a spectacular coastal landscape.
The exhibition has been developed for touring by NETS (National Exhibitions Touring Support) Victoria with a national itinerary made possible through funding by VISIONS Australia. It is an outcome of the Great South West Walk Art Project - an initiative that sought to explore through art the deep relationships and connections people have to natural environments.
BEGINNINGS
Less than two years ago, Ilka White and I were walking along a section of the Great South West Walk in Victoria discussing the benefits of spending extended time in wilderness environments and the effects such experiences may have on the creative practices of artists who do so. Ilka had recently returned from an artists’ trip organized by Birds Australia to their Central Australian property, Newhaven. She was brimming with enthusiasm for the immersive process of experiencing nature by being truly in it, unencumbered by extraneous structures and routines.
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| Figure 1 Peter Corbett, John Wolesley on the Glenelg River Bank 2006 |
We discussed the precedent of such trips to an interior ‘wilderness’, both eographical and metaphorical, often made by people in search of spiritual enlightenment and inspiration and well documented hroughout history and across cultures. In the words of A.D. Hope, ‘From the deserts the prophets come.’(Thompson, Slessor, & Howarth 1958, p.120) Many such trips to the interior of the continent have been made by Australian artists, and the outcomes of such journey’s have not only helped us visualize these remote areas, but have also added greatly to an understanding of the complexity of our country. Artists, like John Wolseley, for example, (who is part of this project) have contributed much to the search for ways of understanding and nterpreting Australian landscapes.
Wolseley has managed to develop an affinity with a number of remote interior environments and document them in great detail, developing in the process what I see as his most
important contribution – the ability to jolt his audiences into reappraising the way they look
at the natural world and encourage them to regard the microcosm, to hone in on the
environment, become attuned to its energy fields, and experience the ‘varying geographies
of mood and signification.’ (Wallace 1998, p.19. de Gryse & Sant 1994, p.89)
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Figure 2 John Wolseley, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater – Lake Monebeong I 2006
watercolour on paper, 56 x 76cm (page 1)
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Figures 3 Carmel Wallace Artists in the Cobboboonee Forest 2006
( Vicki Couzens) |
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Yet, as Ilka and I walked along the track skirting the incredible perched Bridgewater Lakes
in my own ‘backyard’, I thought that maybe the downside of the tendency in Australia to
prioritize ‘the centre’ as our spiritual core was that it encouraged what may be quite a
commonplace feeling for many Australians – feeling foreign or ‘other’ in places that are said
to epitomise the essence of their country. ‘It could be said that Australians are essentially a
displaced people and as such often feel a lack of personal integration into the landscape
they occupy. Such alienation makes destructive processes more likely.’ (Wallace 1998, pp.5
– 6) The development of a sense of connection to the land we actually live on is vital to our
sense of belonging to the land anywhere.
Ilka and I decided that we wanted to focus now on the land literally beneath our feet and
develop a project that would bring artists like John Wolseley to our backyard, and as in the
Newhaven project, totally immerse them in it. |
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CREATIVE CONCEPT AND RATIONALE
The ensuing Great South West Walk Art Project was intended as celebration of the unique
beauty and increasingly endangered natural environments cradled in the far south-west
corner of Victoria, and of walking as an all-encompassing method of experiencing such
environments. An aim was to explore the ramifications of our need to physically and
spiritually possess the land. Stories of place underlie the connection people feel to their
environment and strengthen their will to protect it. The outcomes of this project will
contribute to the ‘archive’ of escription and interpretation available for the spectacular but
fragile landscape traversed by the Great South West Walk.
The concept of gathering together a group of experienced artists, each specializing in a different media, was developed with the aims of presenting (in exhibitions and accompanying catalogue/book & documentary film) a comprehensive interpretation of this environment and encouraging the cross-fertilization of ideas and methodologies in art practice. |
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Figures 4 Carmel Wallace Artists in the Cobboboonee Forest 2006
( Martina Copley & Jan Learmonth) |
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| To contribute to the work being thoroughly informed, local specialists in various fields
(Aboriginal spokesperson, botanist, historian, field naturalists etc.) were invited to join the
group from time to time to share their particular expertise with the artists. (The local
community was very supportive in providing appropriate liaison and contributed greatly to
the level of knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the environment that the artists
developed as the walk progressed. The artists found periods of “critical walking and
looking’ (Phillips 2005) to be complementary to their individual immersive experience of
wilderness.) |
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THE GREAT SOUTH WEST WALK
The development of the Great South West Walk was in itself a visionary project, recognizing
the power of engaging with the environment by walking it, being enfolded by it. Walking
itself has a cultural history, especially in the Australian context. The instigators of the
GSWW, Bill Golding and Sam Bruton, recognized and built on that history, encouraging not
only the experience of walking, but also an appreciation of remnant pockets of wilderness
environments in our own backyards.
The Great South West Walk is 250km long and is divided into four sections: the
Cobboboonee Forest; the Glenelg River and Gorge; Discovery Bay and Mount Richmond;
and the Three Capes and Bays. (Being musically inclined, Bill Golding describes the walk
as a ‘symphony in four ovements’, and has indeed planted the idea so successfully in the
community that an actual symphony based on the walk has been commissioned.) |
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Figure 5 Peter Corbett, Video Still_9, from work in progress 2006 |
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The Cobboboonee Forest: This section of the walk is through classic Australian eucalypt
forest. The track is flat and even with gentle valleys and river crossings. It explores the
headwaters of the Surry and Fitzroy rivers where ferns flourish in the gullies. Birds include
Gang Gangs, Cockatoos, Crimson Rosellas and endangered species such as the Powerful
Owl and Red-tailed Black Cockatoo. Kangaroos and emus abound.
The Glenelg River and Gorge: The trees grow shorter and more rugged as the track
approaches the banks of the Glenelg River. The track winds alongside the river and up
along the rim of the gorge, with its spectacular lookouts. The river is tidal, and the estuary
widens considerably as it pproaches the sea. This is also the territory of the Red-tailed
Black Cockatoo. Wildlife is in abundance and includes platypus, ducks, moorhens, emus,
kangaroos, wallabies, possums, koalas, wombats, and kingfishers. More than seven
hundred species of native plants grow in the bush.
Discovery Bay Beach & Mount Richmond: This section of the walk is wild, exposed and
exhilarating. Few beaches in Australia run for 55 kms on open sand facing such gigantic
surf as the beach of Discovery Bay. There are huge mobile sand dunes around Swan Lake
and beautiful deep water at Lake Monibeong. Mount Richmond is an extinct volcano with
ocean views, tall forests, open heathland, dense wetlands and abundant wildlife, including
the uncommon Southern Potoroo. Mount Richmond National Park claims at least four
hundred and fifty species of plants in its diverse habitats.
Three Capes & Bay: Cape Bridgewater has some of the highest coastal cliffs in Victoria,
and an accessible seal colony. Lookouts offer breathtaking views over coves towards Cape
Nelson. Cape Grant has a large gannet colony. Blue whales, Southern Right whales, seals
and dolphins are abundant around the capes. |
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ARTISTIC WORKING PROCESS & METHODOLOGY
In March 2006, eight artists embarked on a three-week journey covering the whole 250 km
of the Great South West Walk. As the track moved through the landscape rather than
following a road or boundary, it allowed the artists to experience a sense of immersion and
stillness—of being ‘inside’ the landscape. Their relatively slow journey through the various
stages of the walk provided them with a rare opportunity to experience this wilderness
environment for an extended time. |
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Figure 6 Martina Copley, Artists working at a camp table 2006 |
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The GSWW art project was conceived to encourage artistic experimentation and
collaboration. The artists were invited as their practices reveal a passionate engagement
with environment and curiosity about its relation to the self. Learning from the land and
drawing on multi-disciplinary local expertise, the artists documented their journeys and
recorded their observations in drawings and journals, collections, sound and image
recordings. The exhibition of resultant art works will be an archive of experience and
encounter that recreates the feeling of immersion in a myriad of ways.
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
The project encourages and facilitates a community elebration of its unique walking track and the spectacular environment it winds through. It is supported by numerous partnerships and grants, both locally and on a state and national level. |
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The project is sponsored by:
Arts Victoria, The Australia Council for the Arts, VISIONS Australia, NETS Victoria, Glenelg-
Hopkins Catchment Management Authority, Portland Aluminium, Glenelg Shire Council,
The Wilderness Society, Macs Hotel, Nelson Hotel, Bridgewater Coastal Camp, Glenelg
River Cruises, Portland Field Naturalists, Friends of the GSWW, Parks Victoria, The
Department of Sustainability & Environment. |
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Figure 7 Carmel Wallace Artists & Portland Field Naturalists sighting
waterbirds at the Glenelg River estuary 2006 |
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Community interaction was encouraged on many levels. Functions during the artists’ walk
phase of the project included a ritual dance and ‘smoke-ceremony’ send-off by the local
indigenous community and ‘meet the artists’ afternoons and evenings. Local knowledge
was shared at many sites along the walk. Additional artists’ talks and workshops will be
offered locally closer to the time of the exhibition in the Portland Arts Centre.
Ilka and I have worked in collaboration with Karl Hatton, Cultural Services Officer for
Glenelg Shire Council. In addition, a local Project Reference Group (PRG) was formed to
assist in liaison with community groups, preparation of funding submissions, and negotiation
re sponsorship for the various stages of the overall project. Others on the Project
Reference Group include Heather McIntosh, secretary of the Friends of the Great South
West Walk; Anna Hooper, Communications Officer for Glenelg Hopkins CMA; and Anna
Sullivan, Community Liaison officer for Portland Aluminium. |
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THE ARTISTS
Each artist has focusing on a different mood and aspect of the journey and their specialist
skills and choice of materials have ensured a rich, multi-layered interpretation of this diverse
and fragile landscape. A weaving together and recognition of the connections between living
things and the patterns they create, the exhibition will engage diverse systems of language
and knowledge to create a cultural landscape.
Drawing together ideas to address issues of contemporary relevance such as sustainability
and disappearance, mapping and scientific observation, the impact of non-indigenous
people on the land, the experience of early settlers, Aboriginal notions of time and place—
these works will ask questions about the bigger picture of our relationship with the land. |
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The artists involved are: John Wolseley (Bendigo /Melbourne) drawing/painting, Vicki
Couzens (Koroit /Portland) mixed media, Brian Laurence (Melbourne) soundscape, Peter
Corbett (Portland/Melbourne) video and installation, Carmel Wallace (Portland)
printmaking/mixed media, Ilka White (Melbourne) textiles, Nicky Hepburn (Melbourne)
jewellery and precious objects, Jan Learmonth (Gippsland) sculpture. |
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Vicki Couzen
Vicki Couzens is a Keerray Wurrong/Gunditjmara woman. She develops her art and
consults on community projects through her business, Kaawirn Kuunawarn Hissing Swan
Arts. Vicki received the inaugural Deadly Art Award, and her work was acquired by the
National Gallery of Victoria. Public commissions include a possum skin cloak for the 2006
Commonwealth Games. |
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 Figure 8 Vicki Couzens woorrkgnan/moorraka (birthplace/burialplace) Acrylic & paper on canvas 2004 |
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 Figure 9 Vicki Couzens Possum-skin cloak
(National Museum of Australia collection) |
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Figure 10 Ilka White, Journal Extract 2, March–April 2006 (page 3) |
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Ilka White
Ilka White is joint coordinator of the GSWW Art project. Awards include a Bachelor of Fine
Arts from Monash University; an Associate Diploma of Arts (Studio Textiles) from RMIT; and
a Winston Churchill Memorial Fellowship. Ilka’s 2004 exhibition 'Whitework' at Craft Victoria
toured regional Victoria. Her work is represented in the National Gallery of Victoria.
Peter Corbett
Peter Corbett has won over 45 international awards including a Gold Medal at the New
York Festival and two Gold Medals by the Australian Cinematographers Society. Peter has
worked internationally on feature films and documentaries. Commissions include a
documentary film of lions in the wild in Botswana for Werribee Park Zoo.
Brian Laurence
Brian Laurence has worked as a Sound Designer, Producer, Director and Consultant for
more than 30 years, and has travelled extensively. His recent works, produced from natural
samples, have accompanied site-specific sculpture in the wetlands of the Warrandyte State
Park and the Lions on Edge exhibit in Werribee’s Open Range Zoo. |
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Figure 11 Carmel Wallace Sea of Vapours monotype 2005 (6 panels, each 56x76cm) |
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Carmel Wallace
Carmel Wallace is joint oordinator of the GSWW Art project. Her home territory in southwest
Victoria is the subject of her artwork and research. She was awarded the Vice-
Chancellor’s Medal (Deakin), and her artwork has been selected for national exhibitions
such as The Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery |
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Figure12 Carmel Wallace Wedge Forest beach-found cargo wedges on ply 45x90x25cm
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of NSW. Acquisitions include private and corporate collections in Australia, Europe and America; the National Library of Australia; the State Library of Victoria; and The Silk Cut Collection in the National Gallery of Australia.
John Wolseley
John Wolseley was born in the United Kingdom in 1938, and arrived in Australia in1976.
He has travelled widely and exhibited extensively, most recently at the State Library and
National Gallery of Victoria. Prizes include the Trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW
Watercolour Prize and an Australia Council Fellowship. |
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Nicky Hepburn
Nicky Hepburn received a Diploma of Art in Gold and Silver smithing from RMIT in 1980
and has shown extensively in group exhibitions around the country. Her solo exhibitions
include those in 2002 and 2003 at e.g.etal Gallery, Melbourne. Her work delights in all
things natural.
 Figure 14 Jan Learmonth Outrigged 2005
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 Figure 13 Nicky Hepburn Bleached Sterling silver, silk thread, 2 x 450 x 20mm. Ilka White
Seagrass Bandolier seagrass stems and linen thread.
Jan Learmonth
Jan Learmonth was born in Naracoorte SA, and studied at the National Gallery School.
Her sculptural work has been selected for several award exhibitions including the Australian
Sculpture Triennial, 1990 and 1993; Terra Firma – Yarra Sculpture Trail, 2002; and Yering
Station, 2004. Acquisitions include Deakin University, Albury Regional Art Gallery, and
numerous private collections. |
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CONCLUSION
The Great South-West Walk Art Project contributes to arts practice in Victoria by bringing
together experienced professional artists working in a diverse range of mediums. To have
all artists walking and working together with the same intention, immersed in the same
creative space/process at the same time was an exciting prospect that led to collaborative
thinking and skill-sharing. All of the artists finished the walk with a heightened sense of
connection to the natural world and an awareness of the importance of interaction with the
local community and its rich pool knowledge. In John Wolseley’s words, the environment of
the walk was ‘…an intriguing place to meditate on how we use and experience land’.
(Wolseley 2006)
The involvement of specialists sharing their expertise with the artists as part of the working methodology allowed the Great South-West Walk Art Project to engage other sectors in the
work, leading to significant arts and non-arts benefits. The ‘archive’ of creative description
and interpretation the artists develop for the area can complement that of scientists and land
managers, contributing to non-arts solutions and a cross-fertilisation of ideas about the
valuing of this land. The interest already shown by local and national environment, tourism,
historical, business, art and cultural interest groups is indicative of the project’s scope.
Above all, walking in this wilderness environment enabled the artists to experience a ‘holistic frame of mind where the artist, nature, movement and intent are all part of a single
continuum.’ (Grishin 2003)
EXHIBITION DETAILS
Supporting materials: Full colour catalogue with a DVD documentary of the walk by Peter
Corbett; Educational resource; Media kit including a media release, images and captions
and logos and acknowledgements; Website; Short 60 second film ‘advertisement’ for the
exhibition; Invitations for overprinting; Condition reports and installation manual; Artists’ or
curator’s talks, where possible.
Curated by: Martina Copley, Independent Curator
Managed by: NETS Victoria
Available: Nationally
Tour dates: mid 2007 to late 2008
Size: to be confirmed
Contact details: Georgia Cribb, Director NETS Victoria
georgia.cribb@netsvictoria.org / 03 8662 1513
NETS Victoria (2006)
REFERENCES
Couzens, V (2006) artist statement
Cribb, G (2006) WALK: The Great South West Walk (exhibition details) Melbourne NETS Victoria
de Gryse J, Sant A (eds) (1994) Our Common Ground: A Celebration of Art, Place & Environment
Hobart university of Tasmania
Grishin S (2003) John Wolseley: A Self-Portrait of a Bushfire Melbourne Australian Galleries
Phillips A (2005) ‘Cultural Geographies in Practice: Walking and Looking’ cultural geographies 2005
12: 507-513
Thompson J, Slessor K, Howarth R (eds) The Penguin Book of Australian Verse Harmondsworth
Penguin Books
Wallace C (1998) Developing a Relationship with Place: Art in the Context of Bioregional Theory
and Practice, PhD thesis, Deakin University
Wolseley J (2006) artist statement
www.greatsouthwestwalk.com
http://www.walk21.com/paper_search/results.asp
All images © the GSWW Art Project artists
The project is sponsored by:
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