Song to the Ocean - Installation Art Workshop
Create silhouette art to be illuminated during the Song to the Ocean performances in this free art workshop.
Participate in a one-day art-making workshop on either Saturday 24 or Sunday 25 July, 2021 to create silhouette art for one of the 18 light sculptures of Song to the Ocean, a live music and visual art experience for the Hervey Bay Whale Festival on 29 and 30 July, 2021.
Experiment with black mark techniques on a clear plastic canvas that will be back-lit inside the light sculptures (light is diffuse). This technique was chosen by artist and workshop facilitator Tiffany Beckwith-Skinner based on extensive design prototyping with Song to the Ocean light sculptures.
You’ll be invited to envision your connection to the ocean and translate your artistic style into a new work to be displayed on one of the four sides of the light sculpture.
Workshop techniques will be paper cut / tearing and collage, to create a design that you will fix onto a recycled plastic canvas. Paper, canvas and other materials will be provided in the workshop. Note, dense black materials on a clear canvas responds best to the lighting within the sculptures, which will change colour throughout the show and will be viewed by audiences 2 to 30metres away.
About the project
Song to the Ocean is a love-song to the extraordinary marine life that visits the Fraser Coast. It features performances by acclaimed Australian string ensemble DeepBlue, master percussionist Dr Michael Askill, Maori Sonic Weaver & vocalist WHAIA (pronounced Fire), shah kaman player Greta Kelly, with contemporary composition by Dr Corrina Bonshek and visual art by Tiffany Beckwith-Skinner, Mimi Dennett, and local Hervey Bay artists.
About the facilitator and silhouette art lead
Visual artist Tiffany Beckwith-Skinner has had over 20 years of experience in community- engaged art through the State Library of Queensland, Woodford Folk Festival Regional touring projects. Tiffany was commissioned to design and test silhouette art prototypes for Song to the Ocean and lead participatory making & installation sessions in the lead up to the performance. Tiffany designed and created the small-scale wearable light sculptures worn by the performers of Song to the Ocean, which were premiered at Bleach* Festival and Festival 2018 of Gold Coast Commonwealth Games arts and culture program. As a makeup artist & stylist of 30 years Tiffany has worked for Opera Queensland, Queensland Theatre Company, Strut & Fret and numerous short films and music video clips.
About the light sculpture creator
Mimi Dennett develops immersive site-specific installations, collaborative performance, and smaller scale sculptures. Dennett’s interdisciplinary approach is often process driven and hybrid in form. This diverse practice investigates the notion of collaborative transformation through community dialogue, workshop development, and performance. Her large outdoor works in nature use the landscape as a canvas or as a wild and unpredictable collaborator. Mimi Dennett has exhibited extensively nationally and internationally. In 2021 her work can be seen in ‘Solid Gold’ HOTA Gallery, Gold Coast Regional Gallery inaugural exhibition. She has also exhibited Bondi Sculpture by the Sea (including 2021), NSW, Aarhus Sculpture by the Sea, Denmark.
What participants will gain
- Experience working with light and sculpture
- An opportunity to be part of a major festival
- Your bio and synopsis of your work published on the Council website
- Industry contacts
- Pop-up art market. Expressions of interest will be sought from registered artists to display their art (painting, sculpture or other media) at a marquee on show nights (Thursday 29 and Friday 30 July).
Workshop and installation dates
- One day workshop: Choose from Saturday 24 or Sunday 25 July from 10am-5pm at The Neighbourhood Hive, 184 Boat Harbour Drive, Pialba.
- Installation will take place Tuesday 27 July 1pm-5pm at Seafront Oval, Hervey Bay.
- Collect your work during de-installation and bump out at 8:30pm Friday 30 July at Seafront Oval, Hervey Bay.
- Watch the Performance (optional). Bring your friends and family to watch musicians performing alongside your artwork during the scheduled performances of Song to the Ocean on Thursday 29 July and Friday 30 July evening (free registration via Hervey Bay Whale Festival website).
- Mini Pop-up art market (optional) Thursday 29 and Friday 30 July evening. Register your interest after registering for the workshop.
- Cost Participation is free and art-making materials for the one-day workshop are provided. Ownership of Artwork You retain full ownership of your artwork (which will be mounted between thin plastic sheeting and the fabric of the light sculptures for the duration of the performance) and be able to take it home when the project is finished (30 July 2021). We will ask you to sign a release for your artwork to be photographed as part of the production.
Song to the Ocean is co-commissioned by Fraser Coast Tourism & Events and Fraser Coast Regional Council, with assistance of the Australian Government through the Festivals Australia program and the Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF), a partnership between the Queensland Government and Fraser Coast Regional Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.