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Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2015 (1)
“Sculptures by the Sea”
Sydney November 2015 (11 photos)
The 19th annual Sculpture by the Sea exhibition at Bondi has come and gone. This free public event, ran from 22 October to 8 November, and included 107 main exhibiting artists from 19 countries around the world. It was held along the 1.2km coastal walk between Bondi Beach and Tamarama Beach. I went on the final days to take a look at the sculptures.
OPEN, by Peter Lundberg.
Statement: Whilst rough, primal and organic, the artist’s works are often based on simple mathematical shapes and patterns found in nature.
Quite fortuitously, the woman stepped out of the crowd gathered at dawn and started posing on the structure, adding her form to that of the sculpture. The sound of multiple camera shutters going off was immediate.
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“Flying High”
IONIS, by Robert Hague.
Statement: Referencing the countless winged structures down through the ages, this work binds classical architecture to the power of the machine age.
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“Victory – Oh what a feeling!”
HALF GATE, by Matthew Asimakis, Clarence Lee and Caitlin Roseby.
Statement: The work offers a vision of partial enclosure – mirrors craft an environment in flux, a place where the sky, sea and visitor converge, soaking into one another.
I spent a few minutes finding the right spot to stand where my reflection would not show in any of the mirrors. Attention to detail is important. And just in time to catch that man spontaneously doing his victory jump.
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“Whosoever shall pull this stick from the sand will be the King of Australia…”
DUST, by Norton Flavel.
Statement: References our relationship to the land, our perceived ownership and our own materiality.
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“The other man’s grass is always umm, err…?”
NASCENTIA BLADES OF GRASS, by Sallie Portnoy.
Statement: As the viewer moves through these glass blades they become diminished; the everyman shrouded by the enormity of nature.
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“Feed me, Seymour! Feed me!”
FLORA EXEMPLAR II
Statement: A comment on the future about absence and substitution – the devastation of flora.
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“The story of O”
By way of footnote, photography of outdoor sculptures is not easy. I’ve come to realise it is a mixture of landscape, street and still life photography in one. All interact to change the ambience and character of the photo.
The photo at the very top of the post was taken at dawn. The cloud cover ruined the sunrise. So I went a few days later and got a better sunrise photo of the same sculpture, which you see above. Then a broad daylight photo with people clustered around it. I guess the combination of sculpture, sea and clouds had those people mesmerised.
The next 2 photos were taken near sunset with completely different ambience, due to the light…
I took a walk at dawn after the exhibition had finished but before most of the sculptures had been removed, and took this one to maximise the golden hour light, looking away from the sun. But just as I was about to snap, into shot came some native Bondi wildlife. What to do? Go with the flow, I say.
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This is Part 1 of 7 of my Sculpture by the Sea Bondi 2015 series.
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