Moth to illuminate the sky throughout

A GIANT Bogong moth will soon light up Lydiard Street as a symbol of sustenance, survival and interconnectedness.

The artwork will be located at the National Centre for Photography across the 60 days of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale, beginning in August.

Created by Natimuk’s Dave Jones and Wadawurrung woman Dr Deanne Gilson, Life Force Muma Mirri will highlight the ecological and spiritual significance of the Bogong moth.

“Ballarat is meant to be a flight path for Bogong moths, and they are endangered, so a lot of my personal practice with my painting, I not only tell cultural stories of the past but I’m also looking at the environment,” Dr Gilson said.

“The Bogong moth itself was a food source, so the bodies were smoked and they were eaten.

“It will start that conversation about what is a moth and so on, and only through the visual documentation like photographs and paintings and sculptures do we actually see the missing links so that people can learn about it.”

The moth is made of vinyl with sewn-on reflective surfaces, and at night the lights behind the installation will shine through.

It is currently being assembled and is expected to be installed in early August.

The 11th Ballarat International Foto Biennale will receive $26,800 in Federal Government backing, and Member for Ballarat Catherine King visited the National Centre for Photography last week to make the announcement.

The Life Force Muma Mirri public art project is one of 18 in remote and regional communities that received funding as part of this round of the Festivals Australia program.

“Art plays a really important place in our communities,” Ms King said. “It tells our stories, but it also makes people feel joy and happiness.

“Providing the money employs our local artists; it ensures we’ve got visitor numbers coming into our community that hopefully spend time in our community, time in our retail establishments.”

This year’s Ballarat International Foto Biennale will include an Australian exclusive exhibition by Robert Mapplethorpe and Campbell Addy, and the world premiere of works by late French photojournalist Catherine Leroy.