A short side trip to St Arnaud to have a quick look at a few painted silos has turned into a bit of an obsession.
There’s a whole movement (who knew ?! ) that are utilising the skills of painters and historians to bring to life the stories of these communities, using disused wheat silos as their canvas.
Our story started by following a trail on our way to Mildura, discovering the work of artist Kyle Torney in St Arnaud who reportedly spent over 800 hours completing the artwork in August 2020. (1) This story is not uncommon to other locations, with consultation with local residents to engage in the designs and the prioritise the final image selections.
In the St Arnaud’s case the pieces below show ‘Hope’. This narrates the story of pioneer residents of this historic gold mining town. The images are set in the 1800s, the theme of ‘Hope’ resonates deeply with the viewer as it portrays the aspirations of a miner searching for a speck of gold in his pan, the hope of his wife to provide sustenance and clothing for their family, and the hope for a prosperous future for their young child. (2)
‘Hope’ , St Arnaud’s
Further on we travelled to Sea Lake to view the work of Joel Fergie, aka The Zookeeper, and Travis Vinson, aka Drapl. (3) The artwork depicts a young girl swinging from a mallee eucalyptus tree and gazing out over the endless vista that is Lake Tyrrell. A powerful Wedge Tail Eagle saws above the girl and emus ran off into the night.
As I travel across Australia, I’m struck firstly by the space between the small towns, these huge distances that we cover to get to our next destination. But what about the space between the places. This art movement is providing a reason to stop, and encouraging people to include these trails into their road trip itineraries.
Sea Lake
A Bit of History
The very first silo art mural was a pilot project in March 2015 by a cultural non-profit called FORM who wanted to bring art to rural communities. Together with the CBH grain handler two internationally renowned street artists Phlegm & HENSE were engaged to paint the grain silos in Northam, in Western Australia’s Wheatbelt. (4)
Its popularity led to trail of six silos and Australia’ first public mural gallery linking rural and coastal towns across Western Australia’s southern regions.
Victoria soon followed in 2016 in the Wimmera Mallee region and …
“What started as a small community project by the Brim Active Community Group, GrainCorp, Juddy Roller and artist, Guido van Helten resulted in widespread international media attention. The Wimmera Mallee Silo Art Trail was created as a partnership between Yarriambiack Shire Council, international street art agency Juddy Roller, Victorian Government, Australian Government and GrainCorp, who donated the silos as canvases for the artists’ work.’ (5)
And where disused silos don’t exist, water towers and building walls are used as the basis for the art.
I’m also struck by the potential to utilise this form of public art by activating everyday spaces, to contribute to local tourism to assist local economies.
It’s not lost of me that silos where a sign of the wealth of these grain growing regions and the lifeblood of these rural communities. Presumably the consolidation of farms, better storage technology and the rise of road verses rail transport has led to the decline of silos. There repurposing in this creative manner I hope will inject funds and contribute to creating more socially connected and resilient places.
Full credit to the early supporters and funders of silo art who saw an opportunity to reinvigorate communities. Highly recommend viewing the website Australian Silo Art Trail , that is documenting these huge murals dotted across tiny rural towns.
Nullawil, small town in Wimmera- Mallee
Reference
The Australian Silo Art Trail (ASAT) website is a treasure trove, documenting the intricate tales and vivid imagery of every known silo artwork in Australia. www.australiansiloarttrail.com/
