pattie beerens with the moonahs captured by tom radtke
It all started last year….
…with a month-long installation in the moonah woodland at point roadknight. Titled mattering moonahs, and in collaboration with local photographer (now also videographer) tom radtke, passers-by witnessed daily performances of weaving with the moonahs and strings of sloppy clay. I discovered how resilient the clay was to rain, hail and shine and, in contrast with my city installations where the work was viewed as subversive, one local shared - “if you don’t look you don’t see them. they seem to belong.”
Q: tell me a little bit about the project.
moonah gathering is an art experience - an ephemeral installation created collaboratively in, from and with local materials – an opportunity for the community (and me) to experience rewilding as part of nature.
Q: where will the project take place?
The moonah gathering meeting place is adjacent to the visitor centre in Anglesea.
Q: when will the project take place?
postponed due to COVID-19 but coming soon
Q: how can the public to take part?
The community is invited to gather with the moonahs each morning – to acknowledge the Wadawurrung Peoples as the Traditional Owners - to nurture the place where we meet - to listen, sense, connect, care, craft - to share stories, poems, words and thoughts. We will gather each morning, usually at 10am. We will adapt and celebrate the weather.
A few nocturnal gatherings are also planned!
Q: what materials do you use?
While I know you are asking about the ‘materials’ I will bring to the site – it is a good opportunity to explain the ethos of this project – how the moonahs, the river, the ocean, the land and passers-by are all ‘materials’ woven into this work. The suspended weavings will connect physically and metaphorically by the earth – the sloppy clay of Wadawurrung country, the earth we stand on, and the earth from which we all come. Other materials will be gathered, found, gifted and collected … shells, branches, seaweed, feathers, earth, earthlings stories, photos, poems, songs.
Q: what excites you about the project?
For me it is about creating a safe place for us to experience living in the world a bit differently. It’s about place and our connections with it. It’s about respect, slowing down, and listening, not only to ourselves, but to Wadawurrung peoples (past, present and emerging) who care for this country, to the moonahs, the river, the ocean and the land. It is an invitation to the community to gather and rewild themselves.
Q: what are the underlying themes you are working with?
rewilding is one – the idea of ‘working with’ rather than ‘doing to’ the materials of the world – of collaborating within the natural world – as part of it – of caring for our shared habitat.
ephemeral safe places is the other. The idea that “places” are what we imagine in our mind – the “stories so far” and more than the physical architectures we build. Safe because we humans are not in charge, and everything matters. We will celebrate this on the final day (8 August) with a shared ritual of unwinding and caring.
Q: who creates the wonderful photos and videos?
tom radtke is already capturing special moments through his many camera lenses and these will be shared as part of this project - to broaden the opportunity for visitors to engage.
Q: is there anything else you would like to say?
I am very grateful for the support, encouragement and funding - especially the surfcoast arts development team, platform arts, surf coast arts inc. and from the local community.
