The Pilbara Echo had an article of mine in it this week and the gorgeous photos by Samantha Bell from the Courthouse Gallery provided meant that it made the front page - very exciting! I've got a link to the Pilbara Echo in my faves and here is a copy of the article. Time for lunch and then for the write up on the Writers Festival...
The Pilbara Echo, 5 March 2011
52 Weeks On: A Pilbara Project Exhibition
On Friday 11 February a brilliant exhibition opened at the Courthouse Gallery which I was fortunate enough to attend. The concept behind this exhibition was fascinating to me and I think to many more as well because the opening was attended by a broad range of people.
As part of The Pilbara Project five artists toured the Pilbara for 52 weeks, creating visual stories through photography and film. That’s right – for 52 weeks these artists got out there, looked, discovered, felt and interpreted. Then they put it all together so that the rest of us could look at it too.
They created visual stories through photography and film that captured the reality of contemporary life, the rhythms of large scale industry and the enduring Pilbara landscape. The resulting works are stunning, huge and full of impact.
Some of the images felt familiar – stuff we see every day and I was hoping to recognise the people who were in there. Other images took a new perspective on stuff I still see every day but it took a surveyor (I happened to have one on hand) to point out the what and where. The aerial landscape images, particularly of the water, made me see even more depth and beauty in a landscape that I already love. But the images of the community elders moved me to tears and made me wish that I could offer them my respect in person.
The actual exhibition is a dual exhibition, running in both the Courthouse Gallery here in Hedland and the FORM Gallery in Perth. The artists featured are Dr Les Walking, Tony Hewitt, Christian Fletcher, Michael Fletcher and Peter Eastway. The exhibition was curated by William L Fox, Director of the Art + Environment at the Nevada Museum of Art. Along with The Pilbara Project the exhibition was designed and delivered by FORM with the principal partner being BHP Billiton Iron Ore.
The Pilbara Project itself is really interesting. It is a long term project documenting, mapping, illustrating and celebrating the diverse characteristics of the Pilbara with outcomes including this exhibition, a published book, an event program and a dedicated website. The project is driven by FORM in partnership with BHP Billiton Iron Ore, with the aim of getting people thinking differently about the Pilbara and what goes on here, recognising industry but also everything else the Pilbara has to offer to so many people on so many fronts. If you want to know more about The Pilbara Project head to www.thepilbaraproject.com and why not contribute to the blog while you are there.
Every Hedland art lover I know will make it to this exhibition before it shuts on 7 April 2011, but maybe if you don’t normally get into the Gallery at 16 Edgar Street, Port Hedland, you should make a special trip in. This exhibition is about art but it is also about the Pilbara and us – something we can experience and be part of.
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