Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2015 (2)

Nov 19, 2015

2 min read

“Without incident, the special-ops ‘clean-up’ team stormed the beach”

Sydney November 2015 (12 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.

THE BOTTLES, by RCM Collective.

Statement: A sculptural portrait of human-sized “Spray and Wipe” cleaning agents becoming marine life. The work animates a disconnection between consumer waste and the natural environment.

These things actually worked.

“What, you’ve never seen a talking bottle before?”

…

“Noah realised too late he built these too small”

VOYAGERS I and II, by Margarita Sampson.

Statement: Like us, these shaman creatures are walking into their future, carrying precious cargo.

Inside the “face” and “body” of each of these “arks” was a small garden.

…

“Put your hands in the air like you just don’t care”

CITY DREAMS, by Gao Xiaowu.

Statement: Dream and reality, paradoxical yet ambiguous. Humanity has sought this eluding question, as civilisation has for eternity.

Before anyone strains their eyes too much, I have applied a bit of blur and copy/paste over my numerous reflections on the stainless steel.

…

“A helping hand.”

INTERVENTION (2014), by Mike Van Dam.

Statement: In the early 70s there were estimated to be fewer than 200 humpback whales left. Now, with help from us, there are more than 20,000.

A victory for nature and conservation, depicted in art form.

…

“Because I’m (still) happy…”

FUN!, by Naidee Changmoh.

Statement: The cartoon form is used to create the artworks and they express the artist’s positive thinking. The work gives the feeling of peace and simplicity.

This guy made me smile. We saw him before in a more characteristic stance in Sculpture by the Sea 2014 .

…

“The Vortex.”

SPACE TIME CONTINUUM V4, by Clayton Thompson.

Statement: If something from our past is altered drastically enough, the new future timeline would be the future of that past.

This year there was a bit of rain which is no surprise as it is thunderstorm season. On the last Friday, I was waiting for the gourmet fish and chip shop in Bondi to open at noon. I looked up and noticed a huge bank of clouds approaching. I checked the weather reports on my phone and got the shock of my life. I skipped lunch and practically ran to my car about 2.5kms away. Soon after a supercell thunderstorm hit Bondi. I came back hours later and took this photo.