Floating Myths was part of Regional Arts Victoria’s Such Fertile Ground – a project celebrating regional Victoria’s cultural achievements in 100 years from Federation.
For this statewide community project each of the twelve participating towns and regions created large scale images based on endemic, culturally important stories and materials. These images were aerially photographed and presented in a postcard extending the image and the memories of the work and also promoting the image and the region. Fourteen regional artists worked with their communities in devising and constructing a piece of contemporary art on such a large scale!
The Beechworth chapter of this project focused on the myths and legends of the Indigo Hills’ region. Local artist Mark Selkrig supported by Beechworth Arts Council and many community volunteers, created Floating Myths, an installation on Lake Samuel, installed for a single day.
The Floating Myths image was based on:
- The plough shape helmet of infamous colonial bushranger, Ned Kelly – the legend of Kelly is built as much upon fact as it is on fiction. A replica of Kelly’s armour is held in Beechworth’s Burke Museum (see below).
- A golden horseshoe – in 1855, Beechworth’s Daniel Cameron, seeking election to Victoria’s Legislative Council, rode to town at the head of a large crowd of miners on a horse shod with pure gold (see below).
- A dragon – symbolising the extraordinary contribution of a significant Chinese community (see below) which lived in Beechworth from the start of the 1850s gold rush.
(c.1850, photographer unknown)
Visit local historian, Jacqui Durrant’s blog site, Life on Spring Creek for more information on Chinese mining community in Beechworth (click here)
Beechworth Arts Council Membership details (click here)