The Red Dot's Installation - Underway

Ayob's windart gift The Red Dot is in the middle of being installed just outside the Moorabool Shire Office. The pole's gone into the ground and the windart is going up tomorrow. Just in time for the Governor's visit.

It's about time for a weather(vane) report to see what's happened over the past year!

Gifts and Visitors

Ayob bin Ismail on the front page of the Moorabool News, holding a model of The Red Dot.

June has been a busy month with Ballan hosting an international guest and the 1000 Weathervanes in Ballan initiative receiving two weathervane related gifts.

First Gifts First...
Moorabool Shire Council awarded me a community art grant to work with Patrick Bonello from Genesis FX to create a website and logo for the 1000 Weathervanes in Ballan initiative.


Moorabool Shire Grants Award Night, June 2009.


At the award night, L-R: Patrick Bonello, Velislav Georgiev, Sue Jones (Moorabool Shire Culture & Arts Officer), Tor Roxburgh & Ayob bin Ismail (Artist/Designer-in-Residence).

I'm really grateful to the Shire for the grant. It will allow us to build some technical and cultural infrastructure for the weathervane initiative.

Patrick and I are still in the early stages of thinking about the website but we've registered two domain names:
www.1000weathervanesinballan.com.au
and
www.ballanweathervanes.com.au

And we've had some ideas about content.

Proposed site content:
This is what we're thinking of including. Please post any other suggestions.

1. A Google Map with weathervane locations marked and thumbnails showing details.
2. A gallery of images with five sections: windart; windbirds; weathervanes; special commissions; Ballan buddies. (Ballan buddies will be a section where we can feature images of weathervanes outside Ballan if there is some association with our town - like the sister cities concept).
3. How to get a weathervane on your house with three sections: Off the Shelf; Custom; DIY.
4. A media page where we can keep track of publicity and provide information to the media.
5. General information about Moorabool Shire for site visitors who don't know us - and we'll include some links.
6. An online guestbook.
7. A Contact Us page.
8. A Wind Events page.

We've also done some thinking about the site's appearance. We'd like to have a rotating banner featuring 6 different panoramas of Ballan and we're going to run a local photography competition to generate the images. It looks as though we might have some generous support from the Ballan Lionesses with that endeavour.

A Visitor from Singapore...
About a year ago Wombat Regional Arts Network started talking about establishing an international exchange program for artists. Ayob bin Ismail arrived from Singapore at the start of June as Wombat's first artist/designer-in-residence, working as an intern with our public art business.


Velislav Georgiev closing the lid on one of the chess piece storage seats made during Ayob's residency and installed in Inglis street, Ballan. Ayob bin Ismail in the background.

Windart Gift...
From the outset, Wombat conceived of exchange program receipients making a contribution to the Shire. When Ayob arrived, we suggested that he design, make and donate a piece of windart. He agreed and our Mayor, Michael Tudball, accepted the gift on the Shire's behalf.


Ayob holding a model of his piece of windart The Red Dot; Velislav Georgiev beneath his piece of windart Windy Day in Ballan.

Ayob's windart is called The Red Dot. It uses geometric forms to convey the power of Moorabool's arts and design landscape. There are 7 red plates with differing diameters. Each plate represents an element within Ballan: community; natural landscape; history; culture; arts practice; vibrancy; tourism. The choice of red as the central colour indicates Ayob's wish for the Shire to experience prosperity, longevity and harmony.

The windart will be installed outside the Municipal Office in Stead street Ballan. Ayob created a Photoshop image of the suggested position.


Concept image of the proposed location for The Red Dot. Velislav Georgiev in the foreground.

Berry Street Ups the Ante

Recently I received an email from a source at the Moorabool News suggesting the the residents of Berry street had upped the ante by creating a very large and very impressive weathervane.

Velislav and I immediately headed to Berry street to investigate. We found two weathervanes. The first had obviously been there for a while. It was modest in size and featured a cow.


The cow-motif weathervane

The second was enormous. A great big decorative cockerel. Very ornate. The new weathervane was sitting on top of a decorative arch at the entry to a garden. We knocked on the door of the house to offer our congratulations but no one was home.


The Berry Street Cockerel by Norman Bainbridge - assembled from recycled elements

I later learned that the weathervane belonged to Norman and Heather Bainbridge. Norman told me that it is an assembled, recycled piece. The post is an off-cut from a plastic drainage pipe. A "Lazy Susan" provided the spnning platform for the bird. Norman bought the cockerel. It was made from an old oil drum by street kids in the West Indies as part of a development program.

Norman says "The basic idea was to stick the traditional cockrell on an arrow and to prove that it doesn't cost a fortune to make a reasonable looking [weathervane]". All in all, the project cost Norman just $60. It's pretty amazing.

New Weathervanes, New News, New Gossip

An anonymous caller conceives of some windart for the Municipal office.


The straight news is that our local papers The Moorabool News, the Express Telegraph and the Melton Moorabool Leader gave 1000 Weathervanes in Ballan some wonderful coverage in recent weeks. The coverage and the installation of another piece of windart have stirred local thoughts.

We heard a rumour that a community member rang the shire office in Ballan and offered to donate a weathervane. He told the receptionist that he already had the image in mind: a robber with a sack of money. No, it wasn't Velislav and it wasn't me either but Velislav was kind enough to draw me an "identikit" image of the concept for the blog.

We heard another rumour that a Ballan-based artist, someone we haven't yet met, is thinking of making and selling some weathervanes in the Provedore (the new organic produce store in Inglis street). Yeah! More local artists making more windart.

We heard yet another rumour. Apparently one local weathervane owner claims his cock is bigger than another local weathervane owner's. Can't comment on that.

But there's been a bit of work going on between the bouts of gossip. Velislav installed another piece of windart: The Connoisseur.


The Connoisseur, designed and donated by Velislav Georgiev to the Ballan News building. Copyright Velislav Georgiev, 2009.

The Connoisseur was designed for the historic Ballan News building in Inglis street. Velislav imagined a copy of that esteemed publication, hot off the press, finding its way into a Ballan home where it was perused from the comfort of a wing-backed chair in a lounge room where a small glass of wine and a pair of slippers were considered proper aids to the digestion of important local news.


Merv Bartleman prepares to install The Connoisseur on the Ballan News building in Inglis street.

Windy Day in Ballan & The Tussle

Windy Day in Ballan installed at Omnibus Art Gallery, Inglis Street, Ballan as part of the 1000 Weathervanes in Ballan project. Copyright Velislav Georgiev, 2009

There've been a couple of new deveopments in the 1000 Weathervanes in Ballan project. I've applied for a Moorabool Shire Community Arts grant for funding to develop a logo and website. I won't be doing the work myself (haven't got the tech skills) but Patrick Bonello from Gensis FX is a Ballanite and he's been really supportive of the 1000 Weathervane concept. If my grant application is successful, he's going to create the logo and website.


A website will provide some basic infrastructure for the project. At the moment we're thinking about displaying images of existing wethervanes, windbirds and pieces of windart - and we've found 47 so far. We might even run a competition with the prize being a voucher for a weathervane.

But there are lots of other interesting things we can do with a website. We can list local suppliers of windbirds, wethervanes and windart. We could have some DIY instructions. We could publish stories and reproduce images of artwork by local school children on wind-related themes. Perhaps we could have a few lesson plans for any local teachers interested in bringing the project into the classroom? And I haven't got the tech skills to write lesson plans either so if there's anyone out there...

Once we've got a few more pieces of windart plus a couple more weathervanes and windbirds, we can use the website and logo to promote Ballan. Well, that's the thinking behind the grant application.

In the meantime...

We've installed two more pieces of windart in the main street: The Tussle and Windy Day in Ballan.

The Tussle - Ballan Newsagency Roof

The Tussle, donated to the Ballan Newsagency by Velislav Georgiev and Tor Roxburgh as part of the 1000 Weathervanes in Ballan project. Copyright Velislav Georgiev, 2009.

This piece of windart was a real pleasure to make because of the enthusiam of everyone at the Ballan Newsagency. Velislav had a sketch concept that involved a paperboy and a bicycle, but Ian was keen to involve a dog. He suggested a dog with a newspaper in its mouth. Velislav loved the idea but wanted to add some drama so he included another figure. Now, a woman and a dog are involved in a tussle over a newspaper.


Ian and his roof plumber installing The Tussle.

Windy Day in Ballan - Omnibus Art Gallery

Caspar Roxburgh helping with the installation of Windy Day in Ballan.

Years ago Velislav had an idea about making a piece of windart with a person holding an umbrella blown inside out by the wind. We thought it might suit our building in Ballan's main street. We didn't want a trade-related theme because we had trouble pinning down the trade that best represented us. Something to do with writing and publishing for me or something to do with visual art for Velislav?

So we settled on something to do with the wind. I did the original drawing and then Velislav worked on it to give it more movement. I'm really delighted with the result.


Velislav preparing to insall Windy Day in Ballan.

If you hear of anyone installing something wind-related in Ballan please let me know. I've heard a rumour (well informed) that there are people working on both weathervanes and windart right now.

The Juggler

The Juggler, donated by Velislav Georgiev and Tor Roxburgh to 157 Inglis Street, Ballan as part of the 1,000 Weathervanes in Ballan Project. Copyright Velislav Georgiev, 2009.


Velislav and I make public art for a living. The work is interesting, sometimes it's exciting, and it's always challenging. But one of the oddities about making public art is that most public artists don't get to make whatever they feel like making - they make art to meet the brief they've been given by a local council or a corporation. In that sense, public artists are a bit like architects or a bit like those artists from the past who had patronage relationships with the church or with wealthy individual clients.

Making and donating windart weathervanes for the 1000 Weathervanes in Ballan project is a completely different experience. Velislav can make up his own brief and that might involve coming up with an idea to suit a particular building or a concept that suits the nature of a local business or a design that fits the character of an individual family. At that point a conversation begins between Velislav and the potential recipients or custodians of a piece of windart.

The Juggler is the first piece of donated windart to be installed in Ballan. It's designed to suit the family at 157 Inglis Street.

The juggler could be juggling commitments, but if he is there's no sign of strain. One ball is airborne and the juggler's face is still peaceful, even happy. The juggler could be walking across the stage or busking or performing on the street or participating in a festival. There's a sense of complexity and dexterity and balance, but there's also a sense of theatre and excitement and entertainment.


From this view you can see that one ball has already left the circle. It might return to the juggler's hand; it might not.
The Juggler, Copyright Velislav Georgiev, 2009.

I'm curious to see whether anyone in the street will notice this piece of windart. It's clearly visible from the pavement, but its position isn't quite as obvious as the next one's location will be.

If you hear about anyone noticing it or talking about it, leave a comment and let us know. You get some pretty wild comments about public art - positive and negative. And we like collecting them all.

Windart Weathervanes & Windbirds

Windy Day, Commissioned by Elwood Primary School, Elwood, Melbourne, copyright Velislav Georgiev, 2002

Velislav and I have been working on a new project for Ballan- Don't know Ballan? It's a small town west of Melbourne in Australia.

Ballan's a pretty windy place, not as cold as Ballarat (further west) but it gets cold (in Australian terms) and we're good friends with the wind. We first arrived there in 2002 and Velislav noticed the wind. He said it would be a good town for weathervanes. That it would be a good town to fill with wethervanes.

The idea sat quiety for 7 years while we worked at our sculpture business and built our gallery, studio and house. Then this year we decided to talk to a few other locals about art and wind and Ballan. A few weeks ago a group of us committed to the journey towards 1000 weathervanes in Ballan: to make Ballan the windart, weathervane and windbird capital of the world.

We're beginning by installing 6 new weathervanes on properties in Inglis Street, which is Ballan's main street. Velislav is making 4 of them - as windart. Can't show you the photos yet, but I'm putting up some other pieces of windart by Velislav.


Washerwoman, Commissioned by the City of Greater Dandenong, Brady Road Shopping Centre, Melbourne, copyright Velislav Georgiev, 2002


Lawnmower Man, Commissioned by the City of Greater Dandenong, Brady Road Shopping Centre, Melbourne, copyright Velislav Georgiev, 2002


Backyard Mechanic, Commissioned by the City of Greater Dandenong, Brady Road Shopping Centre, Melbourne, copyright Velislav Georgiev, 2002


Bird, Commissioned by the Nepean School for the Treehouse Playground, Seaford, Melbourne, copyright Velislav Georgiev, 2001