2 Art Stations - Dwyer, Von Brandenburg at BOS by M.CARA

2 Art Stations - Dwyer, Von Brandenburg at Cockatoo Island - The Biennale of Sydney through the eyes of a volunteer by M.CARA

It was my first time ever at Cockatoo Island! I cannot believe that, both as an artist and a Sydneysider, I had not visited Cockatoo Island before!  So my experience, in firstly getting to the island via the Biennale ferry, on such a wet and dismissal Sunday morning was indeed inspiring and interesting!

After a volunteer briefing, I was stationed along with two other volunteers, at Ulla Von Brandenburg’s amazing installations. The Biennale of Sydney describes her work as “Von Brandenburg works at the intersection of film, drawing, installation and performance, creating a highly imaginative and poetic body of work that reveals her background and interest in both fine art and theatre design”. With this in mind, the children were encouraged to make finger puppets using their favourite characters and installing them on one of the adjacent pylons. At first, the children thought hard about their choices but soon they were merrily creating their puppets. A cute three year old girl was having so much fun with us that she didn’t want to move on with her mum and just began screaming until she was left alone.  

It may not have been a glorious sunny day on the island, or for that matter in Sydney, but what was so refreshing were the young children dressed up in their cute raincoats and gumboots jumping, laughing and running in the rain and puddles, as they kept the “serious” adults amused. 

My second art station was at Mikala Dwyer’s "The Hollows", a plastic and air installation, a site-specific work. Heated transparent acrylic material produced a kind of exoskeleton. These shapes appeared fragile but are in fact strong and resilient, moulded plastic sculptures hanging from the massive pylons in one of the old buildings. To my surprise, there were also a few adults who bravely participated in making “Dwyer like” small light catching sculptures from simple materials of cellophane, tape and florist wire, mimicking the artist's impressive sculptures.  The adults and children made some incredible sculptures which they happily took home to display as a memento of their day on Cockatoo Island.

By 4.30 pm both children and parents had left the island – all was quiet again, and I was catching the ferry back to Circular Quay.  It was a cool experience being on the island and working with so many animated and creative children.  And thumbs up to their wonderful parents for exposing their offspring to the wonderful world of contemporary Art!

Marianne Cara

Marianne is a Biennale of Sydney volunteer who was assigned on that day to Cockatoo Island for Family Fun Day

Ulla von Brandenburg, Street, Play, Way, 2014, mixed-media installation with HD video, 11:20 mins, black-and-white, sound. Installation view of the 19th Biennale of Sydney (2014) at Cockatoo Island. Courtesy the artist; Art:Concept, Paris; Pilar Corrias, London; and Produzentengalerie, Hamburg. Created for the 19th Biennale of Sydney. This project was made possible through the generous support of The Keir Foundation. Photograph: Ben Symons - See more at:http://www.biennaleofsydney.com.au/19bos/artists/von-brandenburg/

Mikala Dwyer, The Hollows, 2014, plastic and air, dimensions variable. Installation view of the 19th Biennale of  Sydney (2014) at Cockatoo Island. Courtesy the artist, Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney and Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne. Created for the 19th Biennale of Sydney. Photograph: Tai Spruyt - See more at: http://www.biennaleofsydney.com.au/19bos/artists/dwyer/#sthash.a7t0BSNC.dpuf