SALA Festival 2014
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Fri 01 Aug 2014 - Sun 24 Aug 2014
It has been exciting to see the
SALA festival embraced across South Australia. There has been a broadening of an already diverse program of venues.
With exhibitions installed in a cemetery, newspaper headquarters, Town halls, pubs and clubs and almost anywhere.
A recent SALA exhibition opened up a garden as the venue for artist Rod James.
While the garden itself held many nooks and crannies and glorious old world features, it also held many structures that were transformed by art.
Quite a fascinating combination of the garden and art.
As a visitor I was enchanted by this setting. The house associated with the garden was entitled Christmas tree, so I was won over from the start.
The garden has winding paths and hidden sculptures that proliferate throughout and that the eye seeks out.
I attended for the SALA opening on the 9th of August, which included mini pikelets and maple syrup and cups of tea.
I had been told that an old guinea pig house recycled from the Adelaide zoo was the feature for the miniatures. Somehow I expected a hutch like building. Instead there was quite a large miniature home!
This structure is 130 years old, an ex Adelaide zoo playhouse originally named 'school for young ladies'. Then it became home to the guinea pigs in the zoo.
It was saved from demolition by the artist Rod James in 1980.
Now a home to miniatures and big enough for several adults to stand in. However, it did have quite a small doorway designed for little people.
There were 22 maple syrup bottles on display. Each with their own little scene.
I am always mystified how the bottle scenes are constructed. The information sheet given out at the opening states the artist, Rod James always loved creating perfect little worlds, where time and life is encased and enclosed away from harm.
The garden also had a studio, which in addition to being a place for the artist to paint, also held a model railway. More fascination with miniatures.
Easels were set up throughout the garden with the artist's vivd landscapes of mainly coastal locations.
There is a sense of a born collector and scavenger in this garden. Anything and everything has been revised, rejuvenated, remodelled, rehoused and reimagined.
This was a rare glimpse into the world of Rod James and his enchanted garden.
This exhibition was only on for two days, but there are still hundreds of exhibitions on display throughout South Australia.
New discoveries await you.
SALA is on until August 24th.
Seek out more SALA events before its too late
here
#august
#gardens
#festivals
#family
#exhibitions
#art
!date 01/08/2014 -- 24/08/2014
%wnadelaide
149860 - 2023-06-14 03:32:45