Public artworks to transform foreshore

AN EXPANSIVE outdoor exhibition will transform Lorne’s foreshore through the month of March, as the Lorne Sculpture Biennale returns to the region.

Running from March 1 to March 31, the exhibition will showcase a series of artworks across 16 different sites, extending 2.5km from the historic Swing Bridge through to Windy Point, that respond to the theme “Stata”, which was set by this year’s curator Simon Lawrie.

“The great beauty of this particular biennale is that it’s very site-specific and site responsive. [Lorne is] a really magical place, with the coastal environment there and many different types of landscape for artists to respond to creatively,” Lawrie said.

“So, my conceptual and curatorial theme for the exhibition is around the idea of strata and the geology of the region, being layered like on the Great Ocean Road. The stratified cliffs, for me, are an analogy of the idea of a place holding different experiences and different histories.”

 

 

Each of the exhibiting artists have taken a different approach to this theme, with some working with sound to subtly shift the sensory experience of the area and others working with sculpture and physical objects that interact with the land.

Lawrie said those who visit the exhibition may find new and unexpected way to experience familiar places, as the biennale strives to surprise and delight.

“Some works will be quite noticeable and large, and other works will be quite dispersed and have an element of exploration to them, where people may not realise that they’re near an artwork until they might hear the sounds coming from it or might notice some objects embedded in the sand on the beach.”

One of the major works to be exhibited during this year is a piece by Melbourne-based artist John Mead, who has created a seven-metre-high sunshade sculpture, comprised of three vertical upright poles and a woven nylon material similar to a seat belt.

 

 

The design is inspired by Italian director Federico Fellini’s 1965 comedy-drama film Juliet of the Spirits, which follows the spiritual awakening of a woman and features several dream-like scenes on the beach.

Emerging Geelong artist Lucy Allanson will also contribute work to the exhibition in the form of a sound installation exploring the impact of urbanisation on ecological systems.

The outdoor exhibition will be complemented by a varied program of public events and workshops across the month, including artists talks, a small sculpture exhibition housed at Lorne Community Connect and a series of film screenings at the Mantra Hotel.

Lawrie encouraged everyone to visit Lorne to experience the exhibition.

For more information about this year’s exhibiting artists, or to view the full program of events, head to lornesculpture.com