made in nowa nowa

a totally artist-made mini-golf installation. 2009
the-hole-truth.blogspot.com
hole
nowa nowa

a totally artist-made minigolf installation
in the backyard of the nowa nowa art home
over the road from the general store.
(yeah, just next to the crappy new intersection)
2 minutes from the pub & mingling waters cafe (or come
round on the sculpture walk. around by lake tyers).
later you can walk under the princes hwy bridge to the
petanque and the collectables shop and the quaintest caravan
park. and the nowa nowa gorge. then there’s the trestle bridge.
and the rail trail. and the walking tracks. oh there’s mt nowa
nowa too. or did you blink and miss it all. again?

hole
nowa nowa
artistic director: gary yelen
the hole truth: colin brimblecombe
heather johnson
daniel jenkins
cynthia boyle
gary belskyj
ruth fitzclarence
frances harrison
lennie hayes
devil’s hole (in-one): cameron robbins
ice bait & tackle: chris ciemcioch
shane fitzclarence-goold
kate joyce
peter vaughan
richard cooke
seldom seen installation: catherine larkins
& egtafe visual arts students
andrea lane : red tractor art : andrealane@bigpond.com
The Regional Arts Fund is an Australian Government initiative supporting the arts in regional and
remote Australia, administered in Victoria by Regional Arts Victoria.

the whole hole: nowa nowa
gary
yelen
Gary Yelen is the man who pulls it all
together. The look, the feel, the permits,
the problems, the solutions. The man
who moves mountains (in a really nice
way.)
“As artistic director I had the privilege
of working with all the artists, watching
their work grow from an idea to its
completion. Nearly all of the artists had
to overcome some unexpected adversity
along the way - rain (!), extreme wind,
weeds, stubbornly stunted vegetables,
yabbies, design challenges.
None of us had ever attempted a project
on such a scale with quite so many
variables - to such a firm deadline. To
work individually, and yet collaboratively
to resolve design, structural, aesthetic and
budgetary issues was a great achievement
for all of us.
Each work carries not only the
understanding of their chosen medium,
the detailed attention to the brief, but
also allows them to expose to the public
a sensual, eye-catching examination of
who they are and how they relate to their
immediate and wider environment.
Thanks to them for all their endless
artistry, patience, water-resistance and
good humour.”

hole 1: whack to wind the wheels
of the world : lakes entrance
colin brimblecombe
Colin Brimblecombe lives in
glorious Nungurner and teaches
furniture design at the almostas-gorgeous
Forestech Campus
of East Gippsland TAFE.
Colin started out training as an
architect, but left that to pursue
an interest in photography. Then
puppet-maker, zoo-keeper, lab
technician, picture framer, househusband
and registered builder.
Later came life drawing, digital
photography and painting.
Colin has exhibited his drawings,
guitars, digital prints, photographs,
sculpture and paintings in
exhibitions at the East Gippsland Art
Gallery and the world-famous Nowa
Nowa Nudes. [He was awarded the
Well Hung Award in 2004 and 1st
prize in 2008. ]. But this year it’s The
Hole Truth. And his masterpiece of
design, precision, artistry, gravity,
diligence, and dexterity is Hole # 1:
Whack to wind the (wild, wilful,
wily, wishful, warring, wicked,
wondrous, wanton, wary, whimsical,
wasted, windy, wretched, wringing,
wearisome) wheels of the world.
It’s a classic ‘Lakes Entrance Rolling
Ball Sculpture’ . Putt from the jetty
then enjoy the chain reaction of
motion and movement among the
icons of The Entrance.

hole 2: the devil’s hole (in-one)
lake tyers. nowa nowa
cameron
robbins
Over the last 20 years Cameron
Robbins has produced site-specific
installations in art galleries, disused
buildings and outdoor sites around
Australia.
He employs structural devices such as
wind or ocean-powered mechanical
systems. Their aesthetic is the
result of both careful engineering
and resourcefulness. The outputs
of these site-specific installations
include wind drawings and sound
compositions.

hole 2: the devil’s hole (in-one)
lake tyers. nowa nowa
The story of this installation begins with the Lake Tyers legend of two
women disappearing down a sinkhole near the Devil’s Hole, and the bodies
reappearing in another lake a few kilometres away.
Set in a large farm shed, the installation has some planned and pre-made
elements, but also some more ad-hoc pieces created from material sourced
around the site.
Through an opening in the roof, a large wind-driven pendulum is free to
swing around chaotically in the space. The wind catcher on the top is a form
derived from the trig point marker on Mount Nowa Nowa, and a heavily
engineered gimbal bearing allows the fluid movement in response to the
wind. Attached to the aluminium shaft are several cables and pulleys, which
are set up to create sounds with scrapers moving across metal surfaces,
including old saw blades from the sawmill.
On the sloping floor is a map of the root-shaped Lake Tyers. The Devil’s
Hole is accurately positioned on the lake, and is also the minigolf hole. The
ball is hit to the hole, and then sinks down through hidden pipes to emerge in
Mystery Lake (outside the shed), said to be where the bodies re-emerged.0

hole 3: musical cave shell
buchan. w tree
heather johnson
Heather Johnson has worked as an
artist for 30 years. Sculpting has
been her passion from early days
and has now worked professionally
in this field for many years.
Of snails she says ‘I loved the beautiful
shell form, the spiral markings and
their whimsical little faces. I was
known as the snail lady because
of the snail-like pots I produced.
All these years later they have reemerged
as a full scale sculpture.
To support her ‘habit’ as an artist,
Heather works as a tour guide at
the Buchan Caves - the famous
limestone caves - highly decorated
in beautiful crystal formations and
shell fossils embedded in the stone.
The Musical Cave Shell incorporates
a history which goes back 400
million years, when Buchan was
flat and covered by shallow seas.
Limestone formed under these seas,
the sedimentation of crustaceans and
shells. Later through earthquake
movement the land was raised up
and limestone was pushed up into
folds. The mountains and valleys
were formed and caves created
underground as water flowed
through the earth and stone.
The Musical Cave Shell tells the
story of the shell, a shelter for living
creatures, and its wonderful musical
powers. Play with it and listen, look
carefully at the limestone rocks, find
a beautiful spiral shell fossil.
The challenge of this golf hole is to
hit as many chimes as possible, and
to have the ball land on the shell
fossils.

heather
johnson

hole 4: the invisible fish
marlo
cynthia boyle
The Invisible Fish is based on the fish
as a symbol for the environment. We
know fish are there ... but we can’t
always see them.
The Snowy River from its source in
the Australian Alps to the estuary
at Marlo was chosen as a symbolic
waterway. References to the
natural and man-made structures
found along this iconic river
are incorporated in the sculpted
landscape.
Tee off at Mt Kosciuszko and choose
to send your golf ball through the
pipeline of the Snowy Hydro Scheme
or down the virtual waterfall.
Detour through Island Bend where
the workers camped while building
the Snowy Hydro scheme, complete
with remnant apple trees.
Follow the progress of your golf ball
from the alpine heights down the
granite steps to the safety of the log
bridge.
Step off the bridge at the grates put
in place by National Parks to protect
the vegetation. Representative plants
have been placed in the landscape
to signify the changes from altitude
to sea level and from fresh to salt
water.
Pass a rainforest tree made of canoe
paddles and oars, avoid the sand
trap at MOTS* Beach, try not to get
snagged in the fishing gear reeds on
your way to passing the ball through
the belly of the invisible fish to sink
it in Bass Strait.
The Invisible Fish is made from
the transparent materials perspex
and lexan.Embedded in the fish are
names of species found from the
highest reaches of the river down
to the estuary and out to sea. Some
are native, some are introduced. All
are affected by the state of the river
and the activities taking place in and
upon it.

hole 5: un-natural beauty
tambo upper
gary
belskyj
Blacksmith, metalsmith, banjo
player, housedad. Gary Belskyj
does all of that (and more).
Gary uses brass, copper, bronze and
other non ferrous metals to create
his works of art. Steam unk is his
particular thing. In every piece he
brings an old world look and feel.
‘The main attraction for me is the
feelings of fantasy and release from
the normality of today’s technological
world.
And although it is a technology of its
own, it conjures a more simplistic,
magical ideal within the work.’
Within our environment there are
forces at work that interact to give
rise to the natural beauty of this
area.
Un-natural beauty is a mixed
media sculpture representing the
key elements of nature that provide
growth, life and beauty for all living
things, in perhaps a surreal / unreal
manner.
Earth, Water, Air and Fire (well,
sunlight, perhaps).
The lead ramp is a representation of
Earth and has the mosaics showing
ground/earth, water, air, sun and
cycles of the moon that are totally
necessary for living things.
The steel waterfall is a representation
of Water, without which we would
not survive.
The spinner is the Sun/Fire that
provides energy to all things.
Within the scuplture there is a
mechanism that “harnesses the
wind” and rotates thus “powering”
the overall device. This is the Air.

hole 6: farmyard : metung
daniel
jenkins
Daniel has worked his entire
career as a studio artist with bouts
of teaching at the VCA and Melb
Uni. These days he hides out in his
Metung idyll mainly. Making and
talking art. He has work in several
major public collections in Australia,
including a couple of pieces in the
National Gallery of Australia.
‘My material is copper for its
malleability and colourability and
stayability. It is from the earth and
is part of the earth in its art form.
The work here, Farmyard, is a
collection of iconic if not stereotypical
farm things and people. Characters,
I call them. They represent, in a
cartooned manner, the icons that
feed us but are all but forgotten with
the next day’s ablution.
Farmyard things keep us all alive and
the country quaint, if not agricultural
in a tourism kind of way. And
agricultural is the style with which I
have approached these pieces.
I was raised on a cotton and tobacco
farm in south Georgia and have
a first-hand understanding of the
unthanked life of a farmer. Well, a
12 year old cotton picking farmhand,
in my case.
So these figures are as much from
my life as they are representative,
in a stylised manner, the things we
drive past in the country and rarely
experience first hand unless we are
one.
If they could have been bronze statues
with plaques they would have been.
Hats off.
Image: Farmyard girl awaiting installation.

hole 7: the big bake-off
kalimna
ruth fitzclarence
A curiosity for the rituals of
everyday life leads me to the joy
that is assemblage sculpture. The
art of creating sculpture from found
objects.
For the Hole Truth project, The
Big Bake Off is my way of paying
respectful homage to the wonderful
history of the country ladies of the
CWA who bake tantalising goodies
and bring a healthy competitive edge
to it also.
The Big Bakeoff is signalled by a
clothesline full of vintage aprons flying
in the breeze.
A large recipe card will tell golfers
how to play the 7th hole. Tee off is
a set of scales. Large scale flour and
sugar tins, eggs and milk are the
obstacles. At the bottom of the hill is
the oven and the trophies, 1st, 2nd
and 3rd. The first 30 Winners get to
take their prize ribbon home.
“My aprons have been collected over
the years and each one has a story
to tell. Mmm... who did it belong
to? Was the waist that it enclosed
taut and trim ? or deliciously
rubenesque? ... What foods were
splattered across the front? Tears
wiped from eyes, family recipes
stuffed in pockets. memories from
childhood are brought back with the
vision of an apron-clad cook.
There are many Hole Truths to be
discovered here ... Secrets of the
perfect sponge cake, How to make
pumpkin scones, prize winning
lamingtons, Did Betty really love the
milkman ... and more.

the hole truth marker makers
lennie hayes & frances harrison
Lennie Hayes and Frances Harrison have created the hole truth signposts
for the Royal Glen Boggy Minigolf Course. Each marker (1-9) reflects their
interpretation of the Hole you are about to play - from fishing, to farming, to
cooking with CWA recipes.
Frances is one of Lake Entrance’s
most talented Indigenous artists.
She has been a driving force behind
so many great collaborative projects,
creating some of East Gippsland’s
most iconic and elegant Indigenous
artwork. Traditional icons with a
groovy style.
Lennie is an invaluable asset to
every project, Making art, making
connections, engaging everyone
in the process. He advises us. He
makes us laugh. He brings pride to
every aspect of the project.

hole 8: ice bait & tackle
chris
ciemcioch
shane
fitzclarence
-goold
Ice Bait & Tackle – is the last hole on
the course. Something like a dream
sequence from a jetty kiosk created
by a team of young multimedia
artists, filmmakers, set designers and
artists - with a virtual (Wii) Hole.
Chris Ciemcioch [Maniacal Media]
has been the lead film maker
of this Hole. Chris received an
ICT Scholarship placement with
GoMotion Studios [St Kilda] while
studying at Bairnsdale Secondary
College. He later formed Maniacal
Media which has produced several
local films, including one of the
Bruthen Blues & Arts Festival and a
youth project for GELLEN.
Also on the Ice Bait & Tackle team
are: Shane Fitzclarence-Goold
(mobile phone video maker), Kate
Joyce (visual artist), Peter Vaughan
(film maker), Wolf Ciemcioch (IT
Specialist) and Richard Cooke (film
maker & sound engineer).
Huge thanks also go to Dale Sumner
at LEFCOL [Lakes Entrance
Fishermens Co-operative Limited];
Bob Frandsen (Nicholson fly tyer);
Jack Day (Riviera Bait Supplies, Lakes
Entrance); Rick Jakobi (fisherman &
horse whisperer); the Mackies (Wii);
& Nowa Nowa Collectables - Boggy
Creek Fine(ds).

kate joyce
Kate Joyce has created the Ice Bait & Tackle room ... a whimsical memory of
a space. Old, forgotten, disused. Recycled materials used to create a slightly
bent suggestion of the real thing.
‘My works are fantasy-bent rearrangements of l’objets banal.
I use structure and texture to simulate actual materials such as metals &
weatherboards, and faux patina finishes to accentuate the play of light and
shadow. I aim to create works that convey a dynamic and deceptive sense of
balance and invite curiosity in both context and content.’

EAST GIPPSLAND TAFE VISUAL ARTS STUDNENTS + CATHERINE LARKINS: SELDOM SEEN INSTALLATION.
The 5 initial holes of the The Hole Truth project, funded by Arts
Victoria, grew to include Ice, Bait & Tackle - the ‘virtual’ hole funded
by the East Gippsland Arts Alliance. And then the Devil’s Hole (in-
one) funded by the Regional Arts Fund through Regional Arts Victoria.
Then we squeezed in another one, to almost make our ‘9’. Thanks
to all of those people (and to all our artists) for their faith in the
ridiculously ambitious.
These projects, auspiced by the Nowa Nowa Arts Melange Inc. and
delivered by Red Tractor Art, grew and grew. And as we looked for ways
to include more artists, more places, more kindred spirits, the Seldom
Seen Arts Trail was born - thanks to the support of the East Gippsland
Shire Council’s Community & Economic Development Units.
We are grateful for all kinds of support . Especially moral support from
good friends - from near. and far. from the hills. from the forests. from
the beaches. and across the highway. from families. the wwoofers. and
from those lovely people just passing through.
Our plan now is to open over summer for early morning minigolf (byo
breakfast if you like) and regular twilight gatherings. And you know,
you can come by train (+ bus). Cycle the rail trail from Bairnsdale.
Camp in Nowa Nowa. Or paddle to a cabin on Lake Tyers. See the web
for latest details.
Red Tractor Art. Nowa Nowa
www.redtractorart.com.au
andrealane@bigpond.com
0438 352 370
hole
nowa nowa

a totally artist-made mini-golf installation. 2009
a red tractor art project
[image: devil’s hole (in-one) by cameron robbins]
hole
nowa nowa