Concept

Simon Gilby

Over five weeks of fourth term I propose to work with the school to produce a major artwork involving each of the students individually to produce a large scale Tableaux or scale model of Bathers Beach referencing the changes the area has gone through since before European invasion up to the present. The elements used to reference these changes are; the natural environment, the built environment and the types of people that have used the beach. It is my plan to (according to year groups) make scale models of the architecture, watercraft, vegetation, animals, adults and children and install them on a map of the site to act as an interactive and interpretive artwork. My hope is that the work will provide a non didactic way of providing the viewers and participants with an opportunity to explore the history of the site and to reflect on the nature of it’s change over time. As well as this, the artwork will reflect the collective consciousness of the makers creating it, assuming that all Lance Holt students have some connection with Bathers Beach. In this way the work is about the schools particular relationship with the site.

When this installation is intact and installed, a short film of the work will be made of the camera panning through the Tableaux moving from person to person, animal to plant, shoreline to building etc. possibly moving through accelerated time ending with the present.

This is an ambitious project but it is stuff I have done before. It does however rely on support from teachers and parents.

HOW TO DO IT

The models will be produced during workshops run by me, with the help of the respective teachers and aides in year groups. Before the workshops each student will have been asked to research the person animal or object he/she intends to make. This research requires (as appropriate to the age of the student) a short written descriptive piece and a detailed line drawing of who or what they intend to make. This is the essential prerequisite to making the work.

The rough breakdown of the workshops is as follows;

KINDYS – FLORA/FAUNA   Medium-CLAY.

YEAR 1 -   FLORA/FAUNA   Medium-CLAY.

YEAR 2 – KIDS.                      Medium-CLAY.

YEAR 3 - TEENS.                    Medium-CLAY.                  

YEAR 4 - ADULTS                  Medium-CLAY.

YEAR 5 – CELEBS.                 Medium-CLAY.

YEAR 6- ARCHITECTURE.   Medium-CARDBOARD

YEAR 7 – WATER CRAFT.    Medium-CARDBOARD

When all the works are complete they will be arranged on the site map to depict the every day goings on through the various eras and made available for filming and display.