Sculpture, Food & Wine Long Weekend Wrap-up

Taking place for the second time this year, the Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail – Sculpture, Food and Wine Long Weekend was held from 27 – 30 April. During the long weekend, four new sculptures were unveiled, bringing the Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail to include 35 sculptures across the 150km trail, now including Talbingo.

‘Tidal Body’ by April Pine is a pair of abstract see-through figures in corten steel standing beside Jounama Pondage, set against the backdrop of the water and forested hills. Located in Sir William Hudson Park on land owned by Snowy Hydro, Peter Symons, Snowy Hydro Area Manager expressed, “As a longtime supporter of regional community initiatives, Snowy Hydro is delighted to play its part facilitating the installation of a striking new sculpture in Talbingo for the Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail”.

After the Talbingo unveiling, Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail exhibiting artist Jennifer Cochrane hosted a workshop at Talbingo Public School, where students discussed her work in Tumbarumba, as well as her artistic process, and then built cubes out over paper using both templates and origami techniques, which were then attached together to create hanging installations.

Jina Lee’s sculpture ‘And Spring Again’ now stands proudly at the corner of Pioneer Street and Reedy Street, Batlow, brimming with “good energy” as intended by the artist. Made of white Australian marble, the form of the sculpture was inspired by atoms, bubbling with energy and new life.

Also in Batlow, ‘Composition 17’ by Sasha Reid was unveiled in Toc H. Park, in front of the Country Women’s Association Building beneath acorn trees, which some have touted as a ‘welcome sentient being’.

On Saturday 29 April, Kaoru Matsumoto’s sculpture ‘Cycle-90° “Lingering Memory” VII’ was officially unveiled, surrounded by beautiful autumn leaves and accompanied by The Riverina Light Horse Troop in the grounds of the Adelong Services & Citizens Club. Artist Kaoru Matsumoto expressed, “the wind is invisible, but its strength, flow and quantity are delicate and complex, and are closely related to us, and it is the earth’s breath.” Kaoru further explained that the metal mesh of the wings of the sculpture have an aperture ratio of 77%, allowing the wind to escape, softening movement, allowing light to pass through and not obstruct the scenery.

The long weekend was full of celebrating local produce and wine, with sculpture tours hosted by exhibiting artists, Michael Hill (National Art School – Head of Art History & Theory) and David Handley (Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail & Sculpture by the Sea Founding Director), and the happy sharing of stories.

Thank you to all of the local communities where we stayed and dined for your warm and welcoming hospitality.

We look forward to seeing you for the Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail – Sculpture, Food & Wine Long Weekend in 2024!

 

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