AN ART installation inspired by the region’s pine forests is taking shape at the city’s civic centre.
Country Arts SA artist-in-residence and former Millicent local Jane Skeer used 1000 plastic gardening pots to create a hanging canopy – the centrepiece of an immersive art experience that will be unveiled on June 30.
Ms Skeer was born in Mount Gambier, grew up in Millicent and has lived in Adelaide for the last 25 years.
She said during her month-long residency she looked at the region from a different perspective.
“I still have family here and I visit quite often, so it was really hard to get rid of the known and revisit the town as an artist,” she said.
“I wanted to look at everything through fresh eyes and I had no idea what I wanted to make, but I knew I needed to do something in this space at the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre.
“For the first two weeks I was laying out in the pine forests and looking up through the canopy.”
Ms Skeer works predominantly in sculpture and installation with found objects and repurposed materials – think out-of-date festival flyers, discarded CDs and videocassette ribbon.
Known for her playful works that engage all the senses, her art prompts the viewer to rethink their relationship with the items.
“I had a light bulb moment when I walked past a hardware store and saw a few of these green plastic pots lying on their side,” she said.
“The way the light was coming through it reminded me of the light through the forest canopy.
“I hope the fact this was made of plastic will make people think.
“Maybe we should be making gardening pots out of a different material – especially given the upheaval in the recycling industry at the moment.”
The installation will be formally opened on June 30 to coincide with a performance by the Limestone Coast Symphony Orchestra.
“There will be pine needles on the ground and the sound of the forest echoing around the room,” Ms Skeer said.
“I try to find the essence of what you feel when you are in a certain place and tap into your senses a bit.”
