Dawn Solitude
Lake Ballard, Western Australia, 2005
I had been waiting patiently to get a chance to visit Antony Gormley’s ”Inside Australia” project for some time.
Consisting of 51 sculptural human forms, spread out over 10 sq kms of Lake Ballard, it was a location I was drawn to for its remoteness and for the sense of wanting to experience this amazing installation artwork in-situ.
I timed my run with good mate Stevie Raph for company. We followed in a remnant cyclonic low pressure weather system as it pushed south east and dumped some good rain into these interior desert regions.
I was planning and hoping that the rain would cover the multitude of visitors footprints walking between and around the sculptures. I understand these footprints are part of the artists intention to show this interaction with the visiting public but personally I wanted it to be footprint free for my own selfish aesthetic reasons!
Fortunately I got my wish and the lake was covered by a shallow veneer of water, perfect for how I wanted to visit and interpret the installation.
Interestingly every sculpture had become an island refuge for all manner of bugs and spiders who had found them an ideal platform to get up and out of the water. The abundance of flies also were a serious challenge and would rate in my top few fly blown trips I have done!
Getting to Lake Ballard quite late in the afternoon my initial photography time was limited so Steve and I enjoyed a beer or two and really just absorbed the remoteness and profound beauty of the installation… and the horror of the flies!
Dawn the following morning greeted us with superb soft light and stillness and I created this image Dawn Solitude to celebrate the sense of the sparseness, isolation and sense of place that this amazing location and the artworks imparted on me during this visit.
Unfortunately as the sun rose… the flies rose with it! Before long it was time to break camp and seek our refuge in my Landcruiser and hit the road for respite and further exploration.
Further info regarding the Inside Australia installation can be found here,
http://lakeballard.com/about/antony-gormley-and-inside-australia/
Artwork Notes:
A beautiful spatially minimalist image that translates at its best as a large format Canvas Artwork complimented with a Jarrah Timber Frame.
Also powerful as a smaller fine art print where it can be finished in a classically simple frame.
Larger or custom artwork size are available on request.
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