Canoe, the lead ephemeral art work for the multi-award winning biennial event, Mountain to Mouth, will be created by award-winning multimedia artist Leslie Pearson (USA), in collaboration with respected Ocean Grove artist Kerrie Bedson.
Leslie Pearson is a multimedia artist who utilises many fibre based materials, processes and techniques to create sculptures and installations in which she explores themes of memory and identity.
Kerrie Bedson’s work is inspired by nature, incorporating natural and organic materials that inform her three dimensional work, expressed in sculpture and mixed media art.
Pearson and Bedson’s work with fibre based materials makes them natural successors in the creation of Canoe.
The Canoe Commission has been made possible by funding from founding partner Deakin University.
Both artists are inspired by nature to explore themes of memory and identity in the context of the 2018 theme, Earth. The materials used by Pearson and Bedson will guide the form and function of Canoe and will be utilised to create a sculpture of beauty and strength.
Mountain to Mouth, held Friday 4 to Saturday 5 May, Canoe traverses 80kms across the City of Greater Geelong and the Borough of Queenscliffe, from the You Yangs to the mouth of the Barwon River.
Mountain to Mouth begins at Big Rock at the You Yangs, crossing the industrial heartland of Geelong before arriving in the City Centre to collide with Geelong After Dark, a night of edgy and unexpected arts.
At dawn the next day, the journey will follow the Barwon River through rolling Bellarine farmland, along ocean beach to reach the Barwon Heads river mouth at sunset for a beautiful closing ceremony.
The route is marked with site specific artworks commissioned for Mountain to Mouth, bringing people together through shared experiences of extreme arts that celebrate the land, our place in the land and communities residing within.
In partnership with Gen-U, 50% of all registration fees will fund the Greening the Songline strategy, a planting program of endangered trees, shrubs and grasses along the contemporary songline.
The time is coming to gather your friends and family and join your local community to discover and uncover your connection to land.
Quote attributed to Artistic Director Margie Mackay
“The beautiful dark and edgy design of Canoe, reflecting the 2018 theme of Earth, will create a visceral response in the Mountain to Mouth audience. It melds beauty and fragility with a haunting reminder of our mortality and the imminent threat to our planet”
Media inquiries: Desiree Jacobson Cultural Marketing and Communication Officer 0408 547 517
