Indigenous Cultural Expressions
In 2011, Arts Victoria commissioned Indigenous Cultural Expressions to support a new public artwork or project celebrates the strength, richness and diversity of Indigenous culture in Victoria.
The Commission aims to:
- Promote understanding of the role of Indigenous culture in Victoria
- Acknowledge the contribution of Indigenous culture to Victoria's identity
- Promote the career and profile of Victorian Indigenous artists
- Reflect the achievements of Indigenous Victorians, and
- Respond to the memories, ideas or stories of Indigenous people, around the state of Victoria.
After a state-wide call for submissions, a unique mobile installation space has won the $200,000 Indigenous Cultural Expressions public art commission.
A partnership between Indigenous artists Lennie Hayes and Frances Harrison and sculptor and visual designer Catherine Larkins, the work has been designed to celebrate the strength, richness and diversity of Indigenous culture in Victoria.
The artists will work with the Lakes Entrance Aboriginal Health Association, architect Mark Simnett of Focus Design, marketer and publicist Andrea Lane, and East Gippsland TAFE to design the moveable architectural installation that will host exhibitions, performances and installations by Indigenous artists both from the East Gippsland area and across Victoria.
The structure will be constructed from a number of geometric panels veneered with Australian native timbers and embellished with wood-burning, ochre, metal and glass.
A unique design feature, it will be able to be unfolded and inflated to take centre stage at festivals and other events across the State.
In pitching the project, the artists advised:
"We are imagining a black fella's shelter. A wandering architectural installation. Full of ever changing art. A wild mix of ancient bush crafts, bang up against skin-covered pouffes, slick surfaces and multimedia. A hand-embellished shelter created in the tradition of the Spiegeltent. Our mobile midden. Shelter from the humdrum."
The group's vision for the public art work was selected for the Indigenous Cultural Expressions award by a panel of professionals in the field of Indigenous and public art against a strong field of competitors. Further design and feasibility work will be undertaken by the selected team in the coming months before the project will be launched in 2013.