“Last year we took the project to the Esperance region with the Ravensthorpe silos given a new look at the hand of Amok Island," said Peake.
Photo courtesy of CBH.
Photo courtesy of CBH.
CBH has again partnered with arts organization FORM to undertake the third mural in the PUBLIC silo art series.
FORM is an independent, non-profit cultural organization that develops and advocates for creativity and artistic practice in Western Australia.
Brianna Peake, grower and external relations general manager at CBH, said the previous silo projects at Avon and Ravensthorpe had been incredibly successful.
“In 2015, we launched Australia’s first grain silo mural with the CBH Avon silos transformed into the largest installation of urban art in Western Australia through the work of two international street artists,” Peake said. “Last year we took the project to the Esperance region with the Ravensthorpe silos given a new look at the hand of Amok Island. Both of these projects have received world-wide attention and have added another drawcard for tourists coming to regional Western Australia.”
The Merredin silos will be painted by Perth artist Kyle Hughes-Odgers, who has completed works in Cambodia, New York, Singapore, Madrid, Berlin, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., London, Hong Kong and across Western Australia.
Hughes-Odgers is a multi-disciplinary artist born in Perth known for his unique figurative and abstract artworks.
“We’re pleased to be supporting our grain growing regions through high-profile projects such as this, but also being able to do it by engaging a talented local artist,” Peake said.
Work on the Merredin silos will begin next month with four of the eight silos transformed through an artwork representing the change in seasons and harvests, the rich natural environment, the agricultural infrastructure and the diverse community.
Lynda Dorrington, FORM executive director, said through the trail FORM aimed to enhance cultural tourism in regional Western Australia, build the reputation of participating towns, and encourage opportunities for economic growth.
“This trail offers a new way of experiencing Western Australia’s agricultural heartland,” Dorrington said. “We hope these artworks will act as a catalyst for cultural tourism, linking the Great Southern, Wheatbelt, and Goldfields-Esperance regions in a compelling self-drive and tourism trail, giving new prominence to the agricultural and industrial assets of these regions and instilling community ownership and pride.”
Dorrington said FORM was working in the agricultural regions of Western Australia because of its people and the special contribution they made to Western Australia.
“Along the way we have fallen in love with the beauty of the landscape and the character of the people that farm these areas – we hope the artists draw attention to why we all need to spend a bit of time out there connecting to what makes us Western Australians,” Dorrington said.
Once work on the Merredin silos begins in August progress can be followed on CBH Group’s Instagram account @cbh_group @formwa or through the hashtag #publicsilotrail.
