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| AFTER  ART FROM THE EXTENDED REGION BLACK SATURDAY MEMORIAL The Arts Victoria report, THE ROLE OF THE ARTS IN REBUILDING COMMUNITY features this project. Editors - Natalie Fisher and Annie Talve. Click here. A mosaic mural dedicated to the Black Saturday fires in the Central Victorian localities north of Kyneton commemorates the many homes and a church lost on that tragic day, together with the enormous support that followed.  Vibrant image by Howard Maylor from the regional events and activities website www.kyneton.org See also Kent Watson's pictures on the Monuments Australia Organisation website. A richly mosaiced fire front landscape scene sets the theme with surrounding black tiles inlayed with fire burned materials. The neighbours, friends and wider community tiles transition from dark colours to lighter depending on their proximity to the event.  On the 7th of February, 2009, local CFA members, Micheal Portelli, (the husband of the artist) Paul Dettmann and Anne Buckley were captured by photographer Chris Fleming in a desperate attempt to save the centuries old magnificent native roadside specimens, a prominent part of our beautiful rural and farming landscape.   Newspaper pictures by Chris Fleming, on the scene during the Black Saturday fires in Baynton. As they emptied their load of precious water, drawn from nearby neighbours' dams, a siren blared to warn there was only a small amount left which is required as the umbrella spray to protect their lives in the vehicle, if the fire turned suddenly. AND IT DID! All the volunteer firefighters battled their infernos on constant alert, making fast decisions in extreme conditions, against a furious force of nature with a mind of its own and a ferocious appetite for destruction. They did this because they love their rural landscape and are giving community-spirited individuals.  With the massive event affecting so many in such a wide area across Victoria, many artists rallied to contribute their skills in an effort to facilitate community connectedness and offer the public the opportunity to create memorials to aid in the healing process, both for the deeply affected locals and regional visitors later on. Such strong support for the proposal has resulted in community partnerships being developed that will testify to the ability of people to join forces in a colourful artistic display of solidarity, deep reflection, respect and heartfelt gratitude to the CFA. Partners in the project were - Macedon Ranges Shire Council - who have offered the sidewall of the Kyneton Town Hall for the site, and any ongoing maintenance. The mural has been designed to be sympathetic to the heritage value of the red brick work and the project's grid layout echoes the glass block windows above it. This important building was both a refuge during the event and relief centre for residents afterwards.    Publicity and promotion was donated and carried out by the MRS council, as well as collaboration in the planning of the time frame concerning the stages of the project. Their cultural development manager also organised the commemorative unveiling on the first anniversary, Sunday, 7th February 2010. Involving the broader community in a reverent ceremony, it acknowledged the efforts of the CFA, and the strength, resilence and determination of families, friends and neighbours in rebuilding their rural lives. The 300 strong crowd bowed their heads in a minute's silence at noon, after the speeches and the unveiling of the dramatic art. Helen Macpherson Smith Trust - A philanthropic group who have established a fund especially supportive of bushfire related projects within the state of Victoria. As the major supporter, they are acknowledged in the dedication tile at the end of the mural. Regional Arts Victoria - The major funding body for rural artists, with a specific bushfire grant available for professionals who are coordinating community projects. The project was shared with the public via their bushfire specific website 'Storyboard'. Cobaw Community Health (Kyneton) - acted as auspice body for philanthropic funding, the place of contact for public donations of china and the link to the residents who were fire affected, through their especially employed compassionate case managers. Mosaic Group Volunteers - 45 wonderful individuals, some were members of two local mosaic groups offered their time, creativity and skill filling 180 gumleaf tiles between them all. China donated by the sympathetic public and burned crockery or distorted glass remains contributed by the landholders, was cut and inlaid into the colourful tiles. Every tile was unique and contained a story. Redesdale Recovery and Wellbeing Group - A strongly bonded collective of professionals and volunteers combined their efforts to ensure that the recovery needs were met in the short term, and they supported the project for its ability to unite the community. Kyneton Bushland Resort - situated just out of Kyneton to the north and were evacuated on the day. Anne Buckley is one of their employees, and their prominence in the community was linked by using their gumleaf logo, cut into all the tiles to unify the design. Smalti Australia - The vibrant glass mosaic material featured in the evocative fire front landscape scene was supplied at a discounted rate thanks to the generosity of owner David Lacey.    Time Line The dedicated mosaic volunteers were busy setting distorted materials from their neighbours into black and dark grey tiles during the months of June and July '09. Participants wishing to be involved contributed their sentimental articles in to collection points around the region, filling out forms with their names and property details and information relevant to their special choices.          Every individual tile encapsulates a personal story there for all to share......... The ceramic unicorn The molten remains The daughter's doll, made in the studio of the utility vehicle her first little pot and that burned. aluminium tray. grandma's fine china.    Old door glass, old The cat cup bought Crockery from the bathroom tiles and overseas that now church cabinet that glass from around reminds them of the burned in the second a mirror. treasured pet they lost. fire of its life.    A Keepsake Tile was made at the same time for the fire affected residents, gifted to them by State Government Memorial funding. Old glass bottles and china Special gift cups from the from the mill pit and the Bathroom tiles in the box friends in England saved woodcutters' campsite. awaiting the renovation. for years after cracking.  .jpg)     The trinket from Uruguay Beer bottles from the family's The richly hand painted, and the husband's name. weekend bonfire spot. vividly decorated jug.  .jpg)     Some Keepsake Tiles featured material that could not be included in the outdoor AFTER mural due to rusting, warping or shrinkage. The jar of carpenter's screws Fused coins Badges and cuff links    On June 27th, a huge bonfire was held in the Barfold area as a community get together. In an effort to tidy up the damaged trees, a massive pile had been bulldozed into a paddock, and now being winter, was lit as a warming focal point in a community gathering event, drawing in families, neighbours and friends.    Material for the landscape fire scene was seeded into the pile.    More sheets of coloured glass and crockery articles were added.    During cooling rain, the ashes were searched for molten treasures.   .jpg) And now the firefront scene could include mosaic material infused with the positive healing spirit of that bonding community event.    Molten material was washed, sorted into colours and the painting of the firefront landscape scene was covered in protective contact.    Blobs were positioned to their best advantage with areas around them filled with individual distorted pieces creating great texture.       Black tiles positioned next to the firescene in the mural included material that was distorted in the Barfold community bonfire, helping the visual story transition from the bright coloured art glass in the firescene to the bright coloured china in the hundreds of public tiles, linking focal point to the very important narrative.    White word tiles conveyed the objective of the entire memorial.  Vibrant red and gold mirror Emotional faces surround The daffodil A in front of a glass reflects the light in the yinyang letters making bluestone wall, a feature the FIRE word tiles. the binds and burns words. of the region. .jpg)   Colourful images in the c o m m u n i t y tiles represent some particular interests and groups    C - children O - animals M - sports    M - musicians U - gardeners N - indigenous .jpg)   I - glitz T - religions Y - sweet things in life A newspaper article on August 14th described the very important Redesdale Planning Day in which Christine Nixon, Head of the Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority, (VBRRA) spoke to the capacity crowd, launching the invitation to the public to participate in the mural by contributing sentimental china articles.   On display were many fire affected tiles, their duplicate Keepsake Tiles, coloured communty tiles and the intriguing white letter tiles.  .jpg) The public now had the opportunity to be included by donating patterned china to be set into hundreds of dark, medium and light coloured tiles to make up the rest of the mural. The colour chosen depended upon proximity of their homes to the fires in our area.    Christine Nixon, being a mosaicist herself, and having taken an interest in our project enjoyed the technique invented to hold the three dimensional objects within the 6mm cavity in the tile. The volunteer mosaic team swelled in number, operating out of two studios, setting a diverse range of sentimental features into many coloured tiles to create individually personal stories.       Dark tiles represent close neighbours, mid colours are those living in the shire region and light colours are from people further afield.                                                       A display of the various styles of these uniquely captivating dark and light coloured tiles was set up in the Macedon Ranges Shire Council office windows in Kyneton to increase public awareness. Flikr images by Smitten Kittan, an interested uni student are here.    During a Mosaic Association of Australia and New Zealand (MAANZ) workshop in September, thirteen members created their own tiles from a vibrant collection of sentimental and handmade materials. .jpg) .jpg)              MAANZ members in Queensland were very keen to show their support for our project by using glass cutting and kiln firing skills. A temporary tile was sent to them as a template to help with the cutting of the green glass shape, and the insert is now set into a pale tile representing these caring folks, 1680 kilometres away!!!   The 'result'ing tile is so deeply thoughtful that it takes pride of place next to the dedication tiles at the end of the mural, where the public are able to read all their beautiful messages of hope.  .jpg)  The 11m mural was laid out on the grass so that any adjustments in colour transition could be made, as the final public tiles were being completed over the months of November and December '09. One whole row was dedicated to fire affected residents from many other regions across Victoria, including Marysville, Kinglake, Callignee, Churchill, Bendigo, Elphinstone, Woodend, Strath Creek, Horsham, Beechworth, Coleraine, Koornalla and Kilmore East.    Aluminium and coins Molten white glass cup Marysville crockery    Partner's cup who died The remains of the car Ash Wednesday tiles from in the Churchill fire now a molten ingot the '83 fire on Mt Macedon    Tile embedded in glass Caz's Callignee butterfly Blue and red distorted glass The contributions have been offered by residents themselves, or by family members who live in our area arranging for their collection. The distorted finds not only connect the family members by theme, but there is a worthwhile feeling of putting the finds to good use. In the real spirit of Art From The Extended Region, tiles have been
The mural is now there permanently for visitors to reflect on the stories within.made to represent participants' connections to all the states in Australia, as well as interest from concerned people overseas. A preview was arranged for Christine Nixon to receive her blue VBBRA tile and to see close up the configuration of the final layout. She wrote beautiful dedication words that were fired to tile and positioned at the end, next to all the participants' names.    Introduction words were positioned at the beginning of the mural. The preview was also a lovely opportunity for Jean, the most dedicated hard-working volunteer, to revisit her 63 creations.    The stainless steel frame was fabricated locally in sections and and the installation team included Master Builder John Winter and his assistants Neil and Doug. A local engineer, Richard Fooks, was engaged by council to ensure high quality standards were met. Local professional tilers David Luck and his father Bob followed on with careful handling of the precious tiles, marvelling at the variety of unusual contents. They buttered every tile and worked in rows. The artist's kids helped ferry the tiles which reduced laying time.   As the firescene was premade in slabs, it was able to be adhered like a jigsaw puzzle and lifted on boards to the screed bed of glue.    The unveiling of the mosaic mural coincided with the first anniversary of the Black Saturday fires and was well attended. Kathryn's speech described the meaning of areas of the mural and how parts of it were created, as well as thanking volunteers.    Mayor Of Macedon Ranges Volunteers Tiler and Jean    The slow reveal by artist and CEO of Cobaw Community Health, Alan Taylor    The crowd enjoyed the tactile qualities and the diversity of materials  Sunday 7th February 2010 Kyneton Town Hall, Hutton St, Kyneton, Central Victoria. .jpg) Story Picture Chris Fleming  Story Picture Matthew Furneaux BARFOLD HALL MEMORIAL Christine Nixon APM, Chair of the Victorian Reconstruction and Recovery Authority (VBBRA) was in our area again to unveil a memorial at the Barfold Hall on the 30th of March, 2010. The framed mosaic memorial features donated fire affected articles from close neighbours set into black and grey tiles. A descriptive central tile details other major fires in the past that have threatened this lovely old hall. An impressive aerial photo by Craig Robinson, taken in his father's light plane the morning after Black Saturday depicts just how close the building came to ending its days.       Nine dramatic tiles capture the memories of a tragic day, with textural details that remind one of the furious power of nature and how we are affected by it. Bendigo Advertiser article |
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