A project by Laura Wills

My practice takes a multidisciplinary approach, involving collaboration, ethics and participation. I am interested in the social context of art and ecological art projects. I am interested in traversing the boundaries of drawing to create hybrid works that are social and environmental in nature. Laura Wills

CREEK LORE was a community based art project that focuses on First Creek between Marryatville High School and Tusmore Park. Through a series of guided walks in May 2017, the public were invited to engage with the local environment and hear stories of the creek as it flows through public and private land. CREEK LORE gathered guest speakers, artists, two choirs and local residents to actively share ideas and experiences of the creek, plus speak about its future. A series of temporary site-specific artworks made up from the waste and local natural materials found along the creek were created by Laura Wills, James Tylor and William Cheeseman as well as works made in collaboration with Laura Wills, Maeve O’Hara and Marryatville High School art students.

Read the REALTIME REVIEW here

Project team: Kel Amity – Forager, Dr Peter Burdon – Wild Lawyer, Paula and Richard – local residents, Maeve O’Hara – Marryatville High School Art Teacher, James Tylor – Artist, William Cheeseman – artist plus the Rise Up Singing choir Adelaide and Choral Grief

FIRST CREEK is one of 5 metropolitan creeks flowing from the Mt Lofty Rangers across the eastern metropolitan plains. Indigenous peoples of the area originally camped along the creek. There was plenty of water and rainfall to sustain crops, cattle and historically industries were forged along the creek during colonisation. Today if the council cares for the creek when it flows through public space, who looks after it when it flows through private space, and does the creek need looking after?  Under the South Australian property rights act, all waterways are the responsibility of the owner. Therefore, the 15km approx. stretch of First Creek has many stewards. Do these stewards hold their responsibilities as a burden or a blessing?

More information can be found here at the CREEK LORE BLOG

Participating Partners: Local residents & property owners who border First Creek & Marryatville High School art students.

Laura Wills is represented by Hill Smith Gallery Adelaide.

Creek Lore was the first work in the ongoing Projects of the Everyday series by OSCA and was supported by The City of Burnside.