‘Sculpture by the Sea’ has been a highly regarded annual event in
Sydney since 1997. The exhibition consists of about 100 sculptures (in
varying sizes and constructed from an amazing range of materials) located
along the scenic
Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk. This is a well known walk along
Sydney’s South Eastern beaches which offers a unique combination of parks
beaches and spectacular views.
In
2003, the exhibition ran for 18 days between 30
October and 16 November. There were an estimated 200,000 to 300,000
visitors to ‘Sculpture by the Sea’ which was accessible 24 hours a day,
allowing visitors varying light perspectives by which to view the art. The
selected sculptures were chosen from over 500 submissions from
Australia and throughout the world. There are a number of prizes given to
artists including corporate, government and people’s choice awards,
totalling $60,000 in financial incentives.
I
visited the exhibition on a scorching day last summer with my friend Jude.
Just leaving the house involved a serious effort with a tube of
sunscreen! We had decided to get there early, as we didn’t want 40-degree
heat and the sun overhead detract from our enjoyment of the sculptures…
even so, by the time we got to Bondi and found parking, the mercury had
pushed past 35. Not that this was any discouragement to several thousand
lobster-coloured Brits spreadeagled on the beach… pass the baby oil,
luv!
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As you
might expect from the setting, a great many of the sculptures had an
aquatic theme. Many of the pieces incorporated the natural
environment or reflected in some way the topography of the area.
A piece
entitled Stupastupa by Niels van Amsterdam, for example, was
constructed from old tyres and designed to look like a cone shell.
The tyres were piled one on top of the other in a pyramid structure,
with a shell-like pattern painted over. |
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Starting
from Bondi and walking up the rock steps towards Tamarama we
encountered a humorous piece in an unusual medium: knitting. The
artist had created woollen cardigan for each of a group of three
trees. They stood like tall waving humans with bushy hair!
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Similarly,
another artist had created enormous lifesavers’ caps for some large rocks
below the cliff top walk. Looking down on them, they resembled giant Bondi
Lifesavers bobbing amongst the crashing rocks.
I
thought one of the most fascinating pieces was a sculpture that
incorporated performance art. In this piece, which was located on the
Tamarama Beach sand, a woman dressed in black was “trapped” in a fenced
off enclosure. Surrounded by bamboo posts, she had no shelter from the
sun, and only a battered suitcase to sit on. At this stage the sun was
right overhead and beating down dangerously.
The
woman sat on her suitcase, or paced her enclosure, or looked out to sea.
People were talking about how she might be drawing attention to the plight
of cruelly treated refugees seeking asylum in Australia: among us, but
incarcerated, deprived and excluded by false barriers. Whatever the
intended message, I was impressed with the dedication of a performance
artist who would endure the heat and boredom of a long 18 days
imprisonment on Tamarama beach.
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Also
on Tamarama Beach was a colourful piece which featured the flags of
dozens of nations painted onto large boards and organised into
concentric circles.
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Their cheerful brightness was enhanced by the sun and the whiteness
of the beach sand. It was quite a favourite piece with the children
who gathered round to name the various countries. It made me think
of global harmony and the fragility of dominoes. |
Another piece I really
liked was
The Viewers
by Willemina Villari in which a group of plump rock people a
sit on the cliff top and survey the beautiful blue sea below. Their rough
hewn Rubenesque figures complemented the natural sandstone topography, and
their apparently serene contemplation of the scenery very much reflected
the ambience of the exhibition and the mood of its patrons.
As well as all
the sculptures outdoors, there were a couple of indoor exhibitions. We
found respite from the sun in the Tamarama Surf Lifesaving Club where
there was a lovely photographic exhibition (themed, of course, with local
people and ocean beach activities); and at the Sculpture by the Sea
Gallery on Bondi Beach where there were small replicas of many of the
sculptures on sale.
Sculpture by
the Sea will be on again in October / November 2004, and you can find out
more about the exhibition
here.
