Take a stroll down Ward Lane and discover hidden poetry and awe-inspiring nocturnal photography.
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The Treelines exhibition has been established as part of the Southern Highlands Arts Festival, and it is one-of-a-kind.
Highlands poets Lorne Johnson, Mark Tredinnick and Phillip Hall contributed to the Raining Poetry concept – the first of its kind in Australia.
Curator Monica Markovina said she wanted to create a space for street art that people could interact with and discover.
“Having street art makes you re-imagine and meet the place all over again in a new way,” she said.
“It turns an old relationship into a new romance, and I love that art can do that.”
The idea for the Raining Poetry was inspired by a similar project in Boston.
“Poetry can be so hidden, and I wanted to bring poetry to the streets,” she said.
“It’s a form of ultra-femoral art, where the poetry is a public installation which eventually fades away.”
To discover the poetry, participants can use watering cans to pour water onto the bricks and watch the words magically appear.
Alternatively, they can wait for a rainy day, and let the environment reveal the poetry.
Stunning photography of nocturnal landscapes by Paul Harmon and Mim Stirling are also on display in the lane way.
It turns an old relationship into a new romance, and I love that art can do that
- Curator Monica Markovina
Paul created his pieces using photography techniques and lighting from his days as a director.
“The idea [of the photos] is the engage the viewer in a discussion with the picture,” he said.
“It’s open-ended as to what they are actually about, so you find your own meaning.”
Monica described the experience of street art as a form of mindfulness.
“Art has the power to bring you back to the place where you are in the present, and then take you even further,” she said.
The Treelines exhibition will be on display until November 30. The Ward Lane Art Precinct is located beside The Shaggy Cow Cafe, corner of Ward Lane and Old Hume Highway, Mittagong.
For more information, visit http://www.shaf.com.au/gallery/ward-lane-art.