1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:03,560 Speaker 1: There's a large mural on a public building in McLaren 2 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:08,600 Speaker 1: Vale that has been unveiled or just being painted. Community 3 00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:12,040 Speaker 1: hands on kids from the local schools in McLaren Vale 4 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:15,120 Speaker 1: took part and the artist is responsible. This is a 5 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:18,360 Speaker 1: reflection of the toxic algall bloom is what the mural 6 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:23,639 Speaker 1: represents or points to. Sarah Casser is the artist. Sarah 7 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:25,080 Speaker 1: good evening, Thank you for coming on. 8 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:27,480 Speaker 2: Hi Matthew, thanks for having me on. 9 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:30,720 Speaker 1: Now tell me about the mural. The alga bloom obviously 10 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:33,680 Speaker 1: not the inspiration we want, but it's the one we've got. 11 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 2: No, yeah, it is. Unfortunately, Yeah, I was lucky enough 12 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:42,880 Speaker 2: to facilitate this community mural. It's actually, like you mentioned, 13 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:47,400 Speaker 2: being designed by the youngest members of on Kapringer City 14 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:51,720 Speaker 2: the council, and they were actually the drawings were collected 15 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:56,560 Speaker 2: by Counselor Lawrence jew who actually presented them to Anthony 16 00:00:56,560 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 2: Alberanezi in Canberra just to show you know, and really 17 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 2: they really capture the voices we don't often hear from 18 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 2: the sort of just showing the worry and the grief 19 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:12,720 Speaker 2: and the health and well being being affected by this 20 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 2: harmful algal bloom. So yeah, and I guess my role 21 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 2: was to then, as part of a big toxic serf 22 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:22,679 Speaker 2: show that we've had done Good Bank Gallery in the 23 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 2: claren Belle, was to paint these these designs by these 24 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:32,479 Speaker 2: children quite large on a ten meter by four meter wall. 25 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:37,000 Speaker 2: And we've also been having some film screenings outdoor, film 26 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:41,920 Speaker 2: screenings projected onto the wall in a white panel not 27 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 2: over the murle and yeah, and that's been great. It's 28 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 2: been film screenings about the scientific kind of initiatives behind 29 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 2: them and also stories of First Nations people and artists 30 00:01:55,120 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 2: and surfers. Yeah, all coming together really in this speak events. So, yeah, 31 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:02,960 Speaker 2: the mural has been a real big focal point of that. 32 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:05,400 Speaker 1: Is it in the main street of McLaren. 33 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:09,440 Speaker 2: Vale, Yeah, main strip there, it's Good Bank Gallery. It's 34 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 2: right next to Daily Grind, across from the food lane. Yeah, 35 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:17,399 Speaker 2: the main the main strip. Yeah, so you can see 36 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 2: it when you're driving past, and you can definitely stop 37 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:22,520 Speaker 2: by and go inside the gallery as well. We have 38 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 2: about seventy one artworks by local artwork artists. Yeah, responding 39 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 2: to the algal bloom and what it's doing to our lives. 40 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:35,080 Speaker 1: Okay, what's been the response is you were painting it, 41 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:37,280 Speaker 1: and I imagine people would have stopped and chatted and 42 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:38,560 Speaker 1: probably since too. 43 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah. We actually had an open day where 44 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 2: I invited community members to come and paint the murals together. 45 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 2: So it's really been a beautiful cohesive artwork. I curn't 46 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:53,639 Speaker 2: really call it my own. It's definitely belongs to the 47 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 2: community as by the community. I was just sort of 48 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 2: the facilitator. But yeah, it's really the wall was, you know, 49 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:05,560 Speaker 2: the same for a long time, so it's changed it 50 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:07,960 Speaker 2: up as well. So that's I catching to the people 51 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 2: passing by. 52 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 1: Yeah. Absolutely. Now I'm looking at a shot of it, 53 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: there's an octopus sort of spanning a window. He can 54 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:16,040 Speaker 1: look through it. 55 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:18,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm not very happy little creatures. 56 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:20,960 Speaker 1: Unfortunately, none of them are smiling. 57 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:24,520 Speaker 2: No, no, And there's this phony kind of guru all 58 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:27,919 Speaker 2: around them. And there's a dog that's you know, it is 59 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 2: a drawn by children. As the young is like two 60 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 2: and three and four year olds. There's a dog that's vomiting. 61 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:36,120 Speaker 2: And yeah, it's quite, it's quite. It's done in a 62 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 2: kind of cute, I guess way, but it's got some 63 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:42,960 Speaker 2: really powerful meaning behind it. Yeah. 64 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:46,120 Speaker 1: A photo of the kids painting on the wall and 65 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 1: looks like they're having fun at least doing that, but yes, 66 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: quite striking. Was it hard to blend all these photos 67 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:53,560 Speaker 1: or images together? 68 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:58,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, we actually had there were like hundreds of draws really, yeah, 69 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 2: it was it was hard to choose a few, but yeah, 70 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 2: how to sort of pick the most ones for the 71 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 2: most punch. And the rest of the drawings are actually 72 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 2: displayed in their exhibition inside the gallery through people can 73 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:14,160 Speaker 2: go in and view those as well. 74 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:16,360 Speaker 1: How long is that going to last? For a month 75 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:17,800 Speaker 1: or for November? 76 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:21,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, all of November. We're open on Friday, Saturdays and Sundays. 77 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 2: So yeah, and we're always ego and keen for people 78 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:27,760 Speaker 2: to get involved in workshops and we'll have more film 79 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:29,200 Speaker 2: screenings upcoming as well. 80 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:31,880 Speaker 1: Okay, and you know, there's not much we can do 81 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 1: about it, but at least if you're looking at the mural, 82 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:38,080 Speaker 1: you're say from the bloom in that respect, I suppose. 83 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 1: And it's there's been a few of these, hasn't there 84 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:42,960 Speaker 1: around I know there's one on New York Peninsula. I 85 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:45,760 Speaker 1: spoke to somebody down there. I forget exactly what part now, 86 00:04:45,760 --> 00:04:49,159 Speaker 1: I think near Riedithsburg for memory, where they've done that 87 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:52,279 Speaker 1: and obviously yours as well. I'm not sure how many 88 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:55,919 Speaker 1: others there might be, but it's it's taken the imagination 89 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 1: of artists, certainly, and I think. 90 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:02,080 Speaker 2: Art is such a way for people to process things. 91 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:07,479 Speaker 2: It's it enables you to sort of because there's a 92 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:13,520 Speaker 2: lot of worry and grief and around. It's obviously affecting 93 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:18,240 Speaker 2: our marine life and species and habitat, and the water 94 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:20,880 Speaker 2: is discolored and throwing me. But so much of our identity, 95 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:24,880 Speaker 2: I guess, lies in being ocean lovers where we live, 96 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:29,240 Speaker 2: and so art is a way for us to sort 97 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:33,000 Speaker 2: of come together as a collective process that tell stories, 98 00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:37,160 Speaker 2: talk about the science, talk about the initiatives behind it. Yeah, 99 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:39,880 Speaker 2: and shine light on it so we can get more 100 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:43,000 Speaker 2: attention on it, which has definitely been happening more and more, 101 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:43,599 Speaker 2: which is good. 102 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, fantastic. What's what's next? Got the other projects in 103 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:50,080 Speaker 1: the popeline? Something big like that? 104 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 2: Yeah? Yes, yes, always I am. I'm definitely a public artist, 105 00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:58,680 Speaker 2: so I'm always doubling in artworks in the public realm. 106 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:02,000 Speaker 2: But I my faateavorite ones are projects like this where 107 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 2: I'm really connecting with community and telling community stories. 108 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:08,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, have you done walls before like this. 109 00:06:09,240 --> 00:06:13,640 Speaker 2: Yes, yeah, yeah, definitely, And part of my process I've 110 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:17,120 Speaker 2: painted yeah yeah, since twenty sixteen, I've been painting murals. 111 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:21,040 Speaker 2: But I yeah, part of my process, and not every 112 00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:23,400 Speaker 2: artist does this there is to work with sort of 113 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:26,000 Speaker 2: do a call and response and work with community members 114 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:31,239 Speaker 2: to inform the artwork or help design the artwork, because 115 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:33,560 Speaker 2: I believe I go in and paint it and then 116 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:37,560 Speaker 2: I leave and the community members are the ones that 117 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:40,240 Speaker 2: fit with that artwork and that's their artwork, so it's 118 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:41,560 Speaker 2: important to involve them. 119 00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:45,479 Speaker 1: Yeah, got aspirations to do. I don't know silos in 120 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:46,080 Speaker 1: the future. 121 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:51,000 Speaker 2: Ready asked me that I actually don't. I think I 122 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 2: think they look really hard to paint. So not that 123 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:57,960 Speaker 2: I'm afraid of going up that high, but it's just 124 00:06:58,000 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 2: that curse. I know. 125 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:04,680 Speaker 1: It's amazing how no matter where you are, as you 126 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:08,080 Speaker 1: drive by Canalpen for instance, or wherever else and you 127 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:09,960 Speaker 1: have a look and it's I mean, if I was 128 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 1: doing it would be lopsided, right because I'd follow the 129 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:16,840 Speaker 1: curve down and it would be just this wonky stick figure. 130 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:23,119 Speaker 1: But it's amazing for sure. Good on your Sarah, lovely 131 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:26,720 Speaker 1: meeting you. Thank you and I hope the exhibition goes 132 00:07:26,760 --> 00:07:28,640 Speaker 1: well over the next month, but this will be there 133 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:30,920 Speaker 1: to stay for ages presumably. 134 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:36,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, definitely, yeah, until yeah, we get more and 135 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:39,880 Speaker 2: more attention and then yeah, it might evolve as time 136 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:44,080 Speaker 2: goes on as well, and be attitude. Yeah yeah, good, good. 137 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:45,760 Speaker 1: On your Sarah all the best with it. Thanks so much, 138 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 1: Thank you artas Sarah Casson who has painted this mural 139 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 1: on the side of the gallery there, good Bank Gallery. It's, 140 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 1: as she said, opposite the food lands, so it's not 141 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 1: the Adelaide side, the will Lunga side of the road 142 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:03,760 Speaker 1: as you're basically almost leaving McLaren Vale.