Sculpture by the sea opens today at Sydney’s Bondi beach. Up to half a million visitors are expected to check out the 100 clifftop sculptures.
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00:00 Every year Sculptor by the Sea is a staple in the calendars of many Sydneysiders and
00:11 this year they're celebrating their 25th exhibition.
00:14 I'm joined today by the founder of Sculptor by the Sea, David Handley.
00:18 Thanks so much for joining us.
00:19 Tell me what you love most about this festival.
00:22 Look where we are.
00:23 105 sculptures along the Bondi to Tamarama Coastal Walk by artists from 20 countries
00:28 around the world.
00:29 Three state and territory and three indigenous artists from three different nations.
00:34 It's a special, special grouping of people and art.
00:37 It's a gift to the people of Sydney and everyone's welcome.
00:41 David, we're now in the thick of one of the key artworks at this exhibition.
00:47 Can you tell us a little bit about what this one means?
00:49 It's called Protector and it's by Anton Ford from New Zealand and it's as if these figures
00:54 are protecting the coast, protecting each other, protecting the creatures in the ocean.
00:59 The timber is actually made from recovered or retrieved timber that was burnt during
01:03 the Black Summer fires.
01:04 Anton has carved them and brought them here as if they're a protection.
01:08 And this one is so visually striking.
01:11 Do you expect it to be shared a lot on social media and how do you feel about that?
01:14 Well, it's as if Sculptor by the Sea was invented for social media.
01:18 I'm not a huge fan of it myself, but it's wonderful.
01:21 That's how people spread the word these days.
01:24 When I was younger it was called word of mouth.
01:25 Now it's social media.
01:27 Hermitage is a work about the housing crisis and we're joined by the artists Cristian Rojas
01:35 and Juan Pablo Pinto.
01:37 What is the concept behind this?
01:38 What are the ideas that you want to show the audience?
01:40 It's a paradox between the hermit crab and the housing affordability issues.
01:44 So we were thinking how housing is resolving nature, so we started looking at the crabs.
01:49 And the hermit crab, you know, they found an object, a shell that don't belong to them
01:53 and they make it in the house.
01:54 So we thought this is quite smart.
01:56 That's how we started working with the concept.
01:58 And so Juan Pablo, tell me about how you made this.
02:01 We forged all this part, you know, heating up to red and then getting the shape done.
02:07 And then the painting was sort of the last thing to do on it.
02:10 And that's where, you know, sort of all the concept comes together.
02:14 And if you see on the other side of the sculpture, there's like a real estate pitch of selling
02:18 this as, you know, a unit, you know, to inhabit.
02:21 And when you see through the opening, you'll see a cut out of the barcode.
02:25 So it's saying the ocean, the view is also a commodity.
02:28 And at the same time, you are behind the bars in your mortgage prison.
02:32 So it's sort of trying to talk about topics that are, you know, current and, you know,
02:37 housing affordability, the rental crisis.
02:39 I think people get identified.
02:41 So nice to put that kind of on the table at this moment.
02:44 Absolutely beautiful artwork and good message as well.
02:47 So hopefully people come down to see it.
02:50 And this event will run until the 6th of November in Sydney.
02:53 [Music]
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