like you and I will be sharing the morning .”
Scanning the area , I could see others , standing , watching , guarding . Mysterious footprints lead to each as if suggesting they ’ d been moving in the dead of night . In the subdued tones of the pre-dawn light the area had a mysterious feel , I felt watched , as if with suspicion . It was eerie yet not threatening .
Gus stared at me , motionless , as if needing to tell his story .
“ Mate , it ’ d be nice if you could pop that thing away ,” I laughed again , perhaps a little more nervous this time . “ Tell me your story .”
Gus and his friends are the ‘ Insiders ’, a group of 51 people of the area around Lake Ballard in Western Australia who volunteered to bare all in the name of art .
British artist Antony Gormley had been invited to Australia with the hope of creating an artistic installation that would not only represent Australia but also commemorate the 50th anniversary ( 2003 ) of the Perth International Arts Festival .
Lake Ballard was chosen due to it ’ s unique landscape , a vast expanse of salt crust , not the largest nor most spectacular , but something special . This land is part of the Yilgarn Craton , believed to be the oldest section of the Earth ’ s crust , perhaps as old as 4 billion years . A perfect landscape for these mysterious figures .
I looked around , far in the distance were more , appearing as if walking towards us . It felt welcoming . Was I becoming an Insider ?
Late 2002 Gormley began his work . As if from a science fiction story , a device was used that scanned the naked volunteers , ordinary people , station owners , publicans , travellers . All came forward to be immortalised .
Nearby Menzies , a gold boom mining town of the 1890 ’ s
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