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1998
Art is… energy
Of course everyone will remember the
delight and joy that Balehenge created in
May Park. The hay sculpture created by ‘Ratartat’
would have to be one of the standouts of the
festival over its many years. Its success
as a piece of sculpture and the presence it
created is simply too powerful for words.
Lying in the middle of May Park on your back, staring
at the sky through the circular arches of the straw
monument was simply blissful. It transported people,
hushed small children, silenced traffic and brought
people together in strange and unusual ways. It was thanks to
Geoff and Peter for this great gift to Horsham and
again the wonderful Festival Committee for making
it happen. It was also the year that Council heavily
invested in the Festival and really trusted us to
deliver.
In 1998 we saw lots of fantastic exhibitions, writing
competitions, workshops for kids, a huge mob of
scarecrows, the enigmatic New Zealand iron artist
Jeff Thompson and his delicate and beautiful sculptures,
the second community performance entitled Wimmeradance,
performed in the as-yet-to-be tried and tested ‘Maydale
Pavilion’.
Wimmeradance, had a cast of 1000s, from giant possums,
to tiny costumed field mice. It gently and humourously
told the story of our region from drought to war,
its’ geology and its’ indigenous history.
It was superbly drawn together by Mahony’s
direction.
1998 was a mammoth year. It set a precedent for
successive years and what could be achieved with
vision, determination and drive. |
