Muwerang Mosaic
About the project
Artists - Cedric Varcoe and Mike Tyes at the site (above) and working on the design (below)
The Muwerang Mosaic in progress
In 2020 the City of Victor Harbor has received $25,000 in funding from Country Arts SA to support the Bay Road Mosaic project.
The Bay Road Barrier is a thirty six (36) metre long by one (1) metre high balustrade wall along the edge of the Muwerang (Inman River).
After community consultation on a range of potential public art projects, the creation of a large scale mosaic piece that depicts the Ngarrindjeri and Ramindjeri connection to Muwerang was chosen as the most appropriate and significant.
Local artists Mike Tye and Cedric Varcoe were identified by the City of Victor Harbor Arts and Culture Advisory Group as the most appropriate artists to work with the community on this large scale mosaic project. Mike has extensive experience in large scale community public mosaic projects, and local Ngarrindjeri artist Cedric Varcoe's work is very well known and loved by this community. The pair have a successful history of working together on previous community mosaic projects.
Both artists are very excited at the potential this project has for developing a large scale high quality public artwork that is created through the deepening of the communities’ cultural awareness and skill development.
Throughout August 2020 consultation continued with the Ramindjeri and Ngarrindjeri stakeholders regarding the design for the Muwerang Mosaic project.
After this consultation Council endorsed the design and subsequently called for expressions of interest to participate in the project.
Over 80 people expressed interest in participating in the project.
With 7 sessions occurring per week the 36 metre mosaic will still take approximately 12 months to complete.
If you have any questions regarding the project please contact the City of Victor Harbor on 8551 0500 or arts@victor.sa.gov.au
Community volunteers working on the mosaic
NAIDOC Week 2020
Celebrating NAIDOC Week 2020 local Ngarrindjeri artist Cedric Varcoe shared creation stories, known as The Dreaming, to an intimate group at Kent Reserve involved in the creation of the Muwerang Mosaic art project.
Celebrating the cultural connections to Victor Harbor’s land and water, Cedric shared stories highlighting the culture and history of his people and country that spreads from the Lower River Murray and Lakes, the Coorong, and Kangaroo Island. The stories will form the Muwerang Mosaic on Bay Road and will be represented by a range of depictions drawn by Cedric Varcoe and Mike Tye and then made into a mosaic by volunteers, under the direction of the two artists.
The cultural sharing was captured by Mike Tye who is a local film maker. It will form part of a larger documentary that is being created for the project to be shared with the community.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, numbers were limited to invitation only.
