CDU lecturer vies for art award

An artwork exploring the impressions that recreational activity leaves on the Northern Territory’s coastline and its people has been entered into a prestigious art award.

Charles Darwin University Visual Arts Lecturer Sarah Pirrie’s sculpture, entitled “Return to nature through beer cans”, has been entered into the 2013 Togart Contemporary Art Award.

Ms Pirrie said the piece examined how communities engaged with coastal environments through social and cultural events, such as the Territory Day fireworks display and the Beer Can Regatta.

“It started with me walking along the beach and coming across man-made items,” Ms Pirrie said. “Working with discarded drink bottles, burnt-out fireworks’ casings and abandoned cars, I explored how contemporary communities interact with their environment.

“This made me consider how Territorians use coastal locations to carry out the social and cultural aspects of their personal and public lives.

“I found that the coastline acts as a location where nature and culture intersect, and how people interact with the coastal environment can play a role in the formation of their identity.”

The winner of the Togart Contemporary Art Award will receive $15,000, while the People’s Choice Award winner will receive $5000. The award is open to all artists who have based their practice within Northern Australia or whose work demonstrates a strong connection to the North.

The award exhibition will be open to the public from Tuesday 17 September – Friday 18 October at the Chan Contemporary Art Space, Darwin.