A North Burnett immersive experience has been named as one of the best public art experiences in the nation.
The Language of the Land sculpture, which forms the background for the projections at Australia’s first nightly Son et Lumiere show, has been shortlisted for the 2020 Australian Street Art Awards’ Best Landmark Sculpture gong.
The winners in all eight Australian Street Art Awards categories will be announced on Tuesday 2 March on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
Awards Director, Liz Rivers, said “The Awards showcase destinations like Eidsvold that are using outdoor art to transform their street scapes, while educating Australians about the magnificent array of publicly-accessible art that can be found in every corner of the country.
“Securing a finalist berth in the prestigious Awards further cements the Bundaberg – Great Southern Barrier Reef regions’ reputation as bucket list destination for not just nature and ocean-loving tourists, but also for those who seek out art experiences,” Ms Rivers said.
The steel sculpture, located within Eidsvold’s RM Williams Australian Bush Learning Centre precinct, pays tribute to people who live on, or are connected to, the land. Stylised bush trails, water holes, rivers and animal tracks adorn the lower half of the five-panelled sculpture while circular motfis above represent communities, stargazing and campfire gatherings. Each evening the sculpture comes to life through free light and sound shows that showcase local storylines about Australian bush anecdotes, antics and characters.
Judging focussed on the way the artwork has been used to attract visitors and bring the local community together safely under the challenging COVID-19 conditions. “With COVID restrictions on indoor numbers in most states and territories, street and public art is a free gift to every traveller,” Ms Rivers said.
Arts tourists from within Australia are high value visitors – they stay 42.8% longer and spend 55.9% more when travelling than domestic tourists overall, according to the Australia Council for the Arts’ Domestic Art Tourism: Connecting the Country 2020 Report.
“Australia has a long history of creating sculptures, monuments and other street art that is captivating to visitors. However, until two years ago there was no way of rewarding towns and precincts that created these art-related experiences for visitors. The Australian Street Art Awards has remedied that shortcoming,” Ms Rivers said.
See more about the Language of the Sculpture here: https://www.northburnett.qld.gov.au/language-of-the-land
For more on the Light Show see here: https://www.northburnett.qld.gov.au/rmwablc/