The making
of Salt Lake took a lot of thought and many, many hours. Aluminium sourced from
vintage pot lids and domestic ware was a natural material choice for many of
the pieces referencing not only the strange metallic colour of the lake but the
factory and workers that once earned their living from the salt they harvested
from its source.
My
intention was to make an installation which reflected the lake, its history and
the people who lived around it and so I included various domestic fragments-
all of which could quite easily have been collected from the edge of the lake.
Many of the
fragments, including the growth on the old chair were treated with salt over a
period of weeks in order to imitate the effect of being submerged in the brine
and then exposed to the air once again.
Looking at
the work you’ll notice a dry and deflated football and an old leather boot.
Both were found in a parched river bed but could easily have been found in
Beeac. The salt shaker speaks for itself
and the small oil funnel references the site of the Gainger Bros Garage where
the installation is displayed. Old bottles, jug and pot, money tin and biscuit
container, old brass taps and telephone insulator supports remember the people
and life of the town. As does the
satchel, constructed out of iron, looking like its been cast aside at the end
of the working day at the factory.
Thinking about the birdlife and brine shrimp
they feed on, I grew salt crystals on one of the nests and some of the feathers.
Gum leaves constructed out of rusted and burnt metal scattered around the floor
space could have been collected from around the town -if only they were real.
The window
frame presents the viewer with an ariel view of Lake Beeac at
various stages of its annual cycle-dry and crystalline, when the sun rises or
perhaps when its setting and when the lake is full of water once again and teaming
with life.
'Salt Lake' is displayed in the window until Sunday March 25, 2018.
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Liz Walker will be running a workshop as part of Lorne Sculpture Biennale Education Program 2018:
Spectacular Sea Dragons
Come and make your own Dancing Dragon from the Forgotten Forests
Join artist Liz Walker and Avis Gardner as they guide you in a creative process working with natural and recycled materials in the construction of your own spectacular sea dragon.
Learn and be inspired by Weedy and Leafy Sea Dragons; the marine emblem of Victoria and South Australia . These little-known but incredibly fascinating creatures are incredibly beautiful and endemic to our fragile
southern reefs.
Sunday 25 March- 10 - 12pm and 2 - 4 pm
Suitable for children 7 years and above accompanied by a parent
Booking essential http://lornesculpture.com/happening-now-2018.php
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