We are very pleased to share that we will be in residence at BigCi Australia for our postponed BigCi Environmental Art Award Residency 2022, from mid June to mid July this year. We will be based in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales.
During our residency, we will be exploring the environmental challenges that the Wollemi National Park has faced and will face in the future. This award offers an opportunity to share the complexity of the irreplaceable ecosystem of the National Park, utilising the expert knowledge of BigCi and to draw attention to the fragility of this rich and diverse ecosystem by employing a cosmic perspective.
From a distance, we have been overwhelmed by the recent ecological crises in Australia and will create an immersive sound and visual experience that invites international audiences to create a meaningful connection to the individual life forms that dwell in the Wollemi National Park. Through video, photography and sound recording, we will create a time capsule of a moment in history that seems to be a tipping point in the human created deterioration of millions of years of successful evolution.
We will photograph and film the night sky, the flora and fauna and landscapes. Using field recordings, we will create a complex narrative sound piece that echoes the sounds of the Blue Mountains. Through presenting the area with a deep time perspective, we will invite viewers to consider the incomprehensible value of the ecosystems of fire and flood endangered areas of Australia.
BigCi - Bilpin international ground for Creative initiatives
‘BigCi is an independent, artist run, not for profit artist residency program focusing on artists’ professional development and facilitating their projects.
BigCi has been established and run by Rae Bolotin, a practicing artist, and Yuri Bolotin, environmentalist and wilderness explorer.
Because of our location on the edge of Wollemi National Park within the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Greater Blue Mountains and the knowledge base of our team, many of our resident artists are particularly interested in projects that explore environmental or ecological issues, although many others use our beautiful natural surroundings as a source of creativity for a variety of different artistic pursuits.
All residents have opportunities to take part in bush walks conducted by Yuri Bolotin, an experienced mountain guide and author, and to learn first hand about the unique natural environment of the area.
Artists-in-residence are able to present their work during a BigCi Open Day that usually takes place at the end of their stay.’
*We are conscious of the air travel to do these projects and have considered it a lot. We believe that the work that we produce during the Australian residency will be disseminated to a wide audience in the UK/ internationally, and will help to highlight the climate events that are happening in the Blue Mountains, from our own perspective, living on an island with differing environmental issues.
Images are from Google Earth of Blue Mountains, Australia.