THE BROLGA PROJECT 2017
‘The Brolga is a large grey crane, with a
featherless red head and grey crown’ according to one source – not exactly a
promising vision, so where does the Brolga’s magic lie? With the dance? With
the female-led trumpeting song? With aboriginal story? What is indisputable is
the fact that there are a number of brogla ‘homelands’ around Beeac.
The Brolga, which mates for life and
shares the care of young between mother and father, likes a wetland to build
its nest of twigs and raise its one or two young. The volcanic plains of
Kanawinka have an abundance of salty lakes and associated wetlands.
During Term 2, sculptor Peter Day,
artist-in-residence at Beeac Primary School and the PS students are focused on
the big grey bird that dances. They have requested local postie Dave collect
news of sightings on his rounds. Elderly citizens are sharing their tales, the
children are listening and putting together a map of brolga activities in the
area, spreading awareness of the bird’s presence far and wide. This gathering
of resources, information and images will culminate on 21 June when the project
meets the public with an extensive display in the hall, engaging local brolga
dancer Jamie Marloo Thomas, research experts and others.
The focus of the students’ project
with Day is to create artworks with a brolga theme that can be displayed around
the town and raise awareness of the bird’s local presence. It’s all hands on
toward this goal: feeling the dimensions of the bird, tracing its shadow,
examining its outline, form and space, the weight of the body, the thrust of
legs and neck, how the bird moves, how it stands and twists.
Day is encouraging students to
investigate a variety of materials in the creation of their brolgas – two
dimensional and three.
Teacher, Karen Cherry, who prepared
the funding application to engage Day, speaks of the excitement the project is
generating as the students work beside a practicing artist on work designed for
public display.
Chimeric, like the bird, BPS students' brolga on the PO wall
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