A KINGSTON mural has been shortlisted for an Australian Street Art Award in the Best External Mural category.
‘Wind Dance’ by Sarah Boese is an augmented reality mural which means it is not just a static mural but with the use of an mobile phone application (app) a scan of the mural will bring the artwork to life.
‘Wind Dance’ was commissioned by Kingston District Council in the wake of the Keilira bushfire which burned more than 25,000 hectares in the Kingston area at the end of 2019.
The mural commemorates the disaster and captures the personality of Kingston through a number of themes.
The artwork has also increased visitation and tourism for the community.
Ms Boese said inspiration for the mural came from a lot of community consultation including with school children.
“It took me ten nights in total to put the mural together and because augmented reality was part of the brief I had to incorporate that into the work somehow,” Ms Boese said.
The Adelaide-based artist worked closely with animators to bring the mural to life where she painted and supplied two-dimensional elements to make the mural move.
“The community response was very good and a lot of residents were excited about the mural,” she said.
“They had fun at the unveiling which was great because it meant the mural was well received.”
Enjoying working in the country town, Ms Boese said she had not been to the Limestone Coast since she was a child.
“I used to go camping in Robe but haven’t been to the area in years,” she said.
“When I was putting the mural together people would come and have a chat and there were a lot of nice and supportive comments which was wonderful.”
Speaking on the award nomination, the artist said it was sweet the mural had been shortlisted for State-wide acknowledgement.
“I am hoping the nomination will lead to more traction for Kingston, especially if it wins,” Ms Boese said.
“It would be great for the town and seeing as though I have never won a competition for my murals it would be a wonderful compliment.”
The award winners will be announced during an online presentation on March 5.
