Some of Western Victoria’s most beautiful landscapes and local history are now on display at RMIT Gallery in Melbourne.
The Stony Rises Project, which brings together 10 contemporary artists and designers, includes interpretations of various layers of the narrative of the place, geology, history and the literary, cultural and architectural interpretations that have resulted from the landscape.
Stony Rises is an area Southeast, South and Southwest of Lake Corangamite with a vast number of basalt rocks as a result of volcanic activity.
The exhibition includes local areas such as Mt Eccles, Mt Elephant, Mt Noorat, Mr Napier and Lake Bullin Merri.
The Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney MP officially opened the exhibition on the 22nd of July 2010 which will continue until September 11th 2010.
The Stony Rises Project will also tour Western Victoria with the Exhibition on display in Ballarat, Horsham, and Warrnambool Art Galleries.
“This project provides great depth as much as giving us a little taste of the complexity of what is Western Victoria.
“It also provides an insight into the great love and commitment people have to ‘Place’ and the importance of custodial responsibility,” Ms Tierney said.
The opening was attended by over 300 guests, including local artists, gallery members, academics and many people who are particularly interested in the area.
RMIT Gallery Director Suzanne Davies said that The Stony Rises Project investigates the meaning of ‘place’ through the eyes of artists.
“Traditional custodians of the region have been interpreting the landscape for countless generations, and from the mid 1800s, the western district has been important for settler Australians, from painting colonial landscapes through to contemporary artists drawn to the undulating landscape.
“The Stony Rises Project will reawaken audiences to not only the beauty but the history of Western Victoria,” Ms Davies.
The RMIT Gallery has a program of free guided tours for school groups, for more information please contact RMIT Gallery on 9925 1717.
For more information on the Stony Rises Project please visit the website at http://thestonyrisesproject.com/the-exhibition/