The successful artists reside for up to three months in a heritage, mud-brick house known as Birrarung, a magnificent property on protected bushland approximately 30 kilometres east of Melbourne. This year the Birrarung residency went to Melbourne artist Yandell Walton and Adelaide artist Laura Wills.

The residency provides artists with a unique opportunity to be inspired by natural surrounds and produce artwork that reflects in some way the environmental and cultural values of the site. Past artists have come from far and wide, including Japan and America.

This year, Walton and Wills invited viewers to a ‘one night only’ event. Getting to the secluded site was an adventure in itself, with guests arriving at Eltham Train Station, then taking a mini-bus to the site. Not knowing exactly what we would find once we traversed the winding dirt roads in the pitch black of the night increased our sense of intrigue.

Once we arrived at Birrarung we immediately saw Walton’s projection installation. High up in the bushland, Walton had stretched a piece of gauze that acted as a backdrop for a remarkable projection piece. Looking up we saw a woman running through the bush and magically metamorphosing into different birds including an eagle. Walton’s work at Birrarung has been inspired by the Wurundjeri myth of the Dreamtime story of the Seven Sisters; and she captures the myth in a magical fashion.

Exploring the medium of projection installation has been Walton’s passion for a number of years. She uses this medium by combining real spaces with projected footage in an attempt to blur the boundary between the actual and the invented. The result is a dynamic piece that left a lasting impression.

Walton’s investigation into the Dreamtime myth continued in prints and watercolours viewed in a room in the Birrarung house.

In another room, Laura Wills has created mixed media works and a site-specific drawing/performance piece that builds on her pre-occupation with maps. Huddled around the open fire, viewers watched a live piece by Wills that combined sound and animation in a poignant manner, reflecting her experience of the beautiful and inspiring environment around her.

To view the works and learn more about this unique artist-in-residence program, check out the links below.

Laughing Waters Artist- in-Residence at Birrarung, Eltham
Yandell Walton and Laura Wills

www.yandellwalton.com

www.hillsmithgallery.com.au

www.nillumbik.vic.gov.au

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