Strand Ephemera comes to life on The Strand and begs a look

Date: Friday, 4th September 2009

A giant crayfish, a piano painted pink, a Hilux glued with 4000 clear vinyl leaves, and various other ‘ephemera’ will appear on The Strand this Friday for one of Australia’s biggest outdoor sculpture exhibitions.

The biennial Strand Ephemera will run from 4 -14 September, featuring installations by local and national artists. The show, staged by Perc Tucker Regional Gallery and Townsville City Council, attracts about 80,000 visitors.

Established in 2001 and held biennially, Strand Ephemera is now in its fifth incarnation. Each event celebrates the creativity of artists from north Queensland and across Australia.

This year’s exhibition has adopted a fresh approach, with a guest selector (the Head of Sculpture at Melbourne University), fewer works and more opportunities for public participation.

A Public Art Symposium will also be held on Saturday, with guest speakers:
• Andrea Kleist, Public Art Project Manager for the City of Melbourne
• Christine Ballinger, Manager of Creative Planning and Programs at Sunshine Coast Regional Council
• Eliza Tee, Senior Program Officer (Public Art) for the Queensland Government

Lifestyle and Community Development chair Cr Jenny Lane welcomed the new directions which, she said, would build the exhibition’s national profile and offer more participation to locals.

“Since its establishment Strand Ephemera has gained a reputation for enabling artists to experiment with public art in our wonderful beachfront environment,” Cr Lane said. “These artists are then able to compete for lucrative art commissions and move into the public art arena.

“At the same time, locals and visitors can access public art on a scale that would not otherwise be available to them, and then some of these pieces are retained for the city.”

Cr Lane said she was especially pleased at this year’s public programs.

“Viewers will be able to do an audio walk along The Strand, which they can download to their MP3 players. They can also do guided exhibition tours, make boats, re-create Castletown out of twigs, and learn how to make critter sculptures out of wire,” she said. “They can even come along and play the pink piano by Jan Hynes.”

Other installations will include:
• A replica of a cottage built on Magnetic Island in 1920
• Large red shark ‘fins’ in the sand
• Collective sculptures of dogs
• A palm tree covered in plastic flotsam and jetsam
• A set of rainbow ‘jellyfish’