MUD OR TREASURE

Postcards from Launceston

Mud glorious mud! Launceston's most undervalued 'placescape' is arguably it's mudflats at the head of the Tamar Estuary and the confluence of the two Esk Rivers. 

These mudflats are the result of the region's geography despite the myth that they came about through the mismanagement of land by settlers. European settlers have been cursing them since their earliest times on the Tamar,

Indeed, Governor Lachlan Macquarie in his Tasmanian diary he tells us a little about the Tamar's muddy bottom and its history ..."Sunday 15th. Decr. 1811. ... At 2. a.m. this morning weighed anchor and dropped down the River with the Tide, having a Party of the 73d. in the Launch belonging to the Town to assist in towing the Vessel down the River, on account of the Wind being directly against us. We had only dropped down about one mile below the Place we had left when, through the stupidity of the Pilot (Robinson) the Vessel got aground and stuck in the mud close to the Right Bank of the River, where we must ly [sic] till the Tide makes again before we can get off. — At 20 minutes past 1. P.M. The Tide having made we got off at high water, and were towed down about two miles; but the wind being too strong against us, we were obliged to come to anchor again at 10 minutes past 2. P.M. — At 5. P.M. weighed again and dropped down about a mile, but were then again obliged to come to anchor....."

However Tasmania's Aboriginal people must have revelled in these mudflats and the swamps that once adjoined them. In a way they are the making of the 'place' – and Launceston too. For them food must have been bountiful with the abundance of waterfowl, plant life and land animals. This place was quite probably managed – placescaped – in some way by them. 

This 'place' and its histories needs to celebrated rather than 'cleaned up'. Groomed yes but lets leave well alone, and the unwell heavy metal deposits and 200 years of accumulated sewage along with it.

Postcards from Launceston

GREETINGS FROM 
LAUNCESTON POSTCARD # 1

CLICK ON AN IMAGE TO ENLARGE

GREETINGS FROM 
LAUNCESTON POSTCARD # 2

GREETINGS FROM 
LAUNCESTON POSTCARD # 3

GREETINGS FROM 
LAUNCESTON POSTCARD # 4

GREETINGS FROM 
LAUNCESTON POSTCARD # 5

GREETINGS FROM
 LAUNCESTON POSTCARD # 6

GREETINGS FROM 
LAUNCESTON POSTCARD # 7

GREETINGS FROM
 LAUNCESTON POSTCARD # 8

GREETINGS FROM 
LAUNCESTON POSTCARD # 9

GREETINGS FROM 
LAUNCESTON POSTCARD # 10

GREETINGS FROM
 LAUNCESTON POSTCARD # 11

CLICK ON AN IMAGE TO ENLARGE

CLICK HERE TO READ WHAT

 SOME PEOPLE THINK ABOUT MUD

The Tamar Esk Confluence Zone

Silt 'DROPzone'

MUD SQUIRTER PROPOSAL

A proposal for Launceston's Mudflats at the head of the Tamar Estuary band the confluence of the two Esk Rivers.

The squirters

In 1994 Arthur Wicks attended the Art & Architecture Symposium in Launceston. A key theme of the symposium was to develop concepts that 'fitted the city'. Very quickly 'the river' became a centre for attention albeit the city itself was not yet fully addressing the river. It is yet to do so but a start has been made

Arthur had a very playful take on what might be achieved even if it was somewhat confronting to many participants. Arthur chose to celebrate "the mud" and probably because amongst the 'experts' assembled "the mud is a huge problem" and one that showed little promise of resolution. Not even art could help here was the cry!

Undaunted Arthur played with not only the idea of playing in the mud but also playing with the sensibilities of 'the experts' - overtly and inovertly. Arthur is an eclectic thinker and totally unwilling to be constrained by 'sensibilities' other than his own.

His proposal for a "Worm Cast" AKA 'Mud Squirters' to be temporarily installed in the mudflats from time to time .... perhaps ... possibly. The idea has laid in limbo for 20 years but it seems as alive as ever and a good place to start and an interesting way to approach reimagining and celebrating Launceston's MUDFLATS. Thank you Arthur!

Temporary/Transient Installation Location Proposed 1994

Click on the image to enlarge

NOTES ON ARTHUR
Arthur Wicks was born in Sydney in 1937. He received his B.Sc & Dip Ed (Sydney University) in 1958 and his Bachelor of Arts, Australian National University 1964.

He has exhibited widely throughout Australia and internationally up until the present. In 1966 he held his first solo exhibition at Nundah Galleries, Canberra 1 and 967 he  was awarded French Government scholarship to study printmaking at Hayter's studio 17,

Arthur is a key proponent of colour field painting in Australia and he has produced a vast reservoir of paintings, sculptures and screen prints as relational to the socio-political landscape of 60s Australia amidst the technological globalised age fraught with destabilisation and warfare.

The combination of hard-edge abstraction with mechanical reproduction, Arthur has produced a unique visual language which reflected the new aesthetics and politics of the time. But he goes on working and we at ponrabble intend to keep in touch with him to see where this idea might go 20 years on. 

• Click here for more information 
• A Review of Arthurs July exhibition July 2014
• National Sculpture Exhibition

WATCH THIS SPACE!