My favourite moment of this visit was the large installation work in the modern North Building of the Art Gallery of NSW.
Titled ‘Archive of Mind,’ by Kimsooja, this piece has been in place since 2016. A participatory installation, with sound, Olivia and I sat down to mould clay balls, which were then added to the installation. We laughed a lot, giggled at the almost ‘naughtiness’ of the way we played with the clay, but the process was mesmerising and had a spiritual quality to it.
It felt otherworldly, special to be a part of this installation. It was like we had contributed to history. Which is a bit ridiculous because we are all contributing to history, but this was different. We had just immortalised ourselves, together in these little clay balls. And it was just her and me in that moment, in that place – and I will never forget it.
Having returned to Australia many, many times over the last 35 years to visit my family, I realised I really didn’t know Australia well and that I wanted to explore it more.
So, to attend a family reunion, I drove from Sydney to Adelaide - a trip of approximately 1600km. I stayed in a couple of small country towns over two nights. Along the way I was on the trail of the painted Water Towers (Australian Silo Art Trail https://www.australiansiloarttrail.com).
Threaded throughout the Australian country side are large Water towers and Grain Silos. To me they were always iconic parts of my time growing up as a farm girl from a small country town, but I’d never imagined them in the way I was now seeing them.
They have become landmarks rendered with full size murals. I drove through Gundagai – where the dog on the Tuckerbox resides, stayed in Wagga Wagga, wended my way through the rural NSW towns of Yeerong Creek, Lockhart, Milbrulong, Urana, Jerilderie, where the notorious Kelly Gang Raid of 1879 took place and Robinvale on the Victoria/South Australian Border. I crossed the Mighty Murray several times eventually passing into South Australia and headed towards Adelaide.
The murals were magnificent and they all told a story, commemorating the local communities, landscape and wildlife. You really sensed the pride in these small communities, that these large industrial structures had been transformed, animating the rural landscape whilst commemorating and telling the stories of the community and its environment.
Later in my trip, through rural South Australia, I came across another three water towers. In total I was fortunate enough to see 7 water towers, two grain silos and one tower decorated, not with a mural but a giant spider sculpture! But this is the tip of the iceberg with the Australian Silo Art. Across the whole country there are over 150 painted silos and water Towers across 8500km. I have a lot more travelling to do!
The art of travelling, whether it be travelling to far flung places, or just down the road, or travelling metaphorically, we are all travelling. It is an art in itself and the art is everywhere we look. With every experience, there is a memory attached to it. And it is marvellous. So I thank you travelling and I thank you art and now I know why I want to be an artist. Not to finish something, but to feel, see and remember.