By Mikayla van Loon
Sculptor Anton Mc Murray has been exploring the human impact on the environment for many years but it has come to life in his most recent work for the Yering Station Sculpture Exhibition and Awards.
As an artist who wants to start a conversation around the natural world and its deterioration, his now award winning piece ‘The Cost of Living, Part One, Paradise Lost’ does just that.
“We always think about the cost of living in relation to human beings but I like to expand it out into what our impact is on the broader planet,” Mc Murray said.
Over numerous years of observing and studying the death of wildlife on the roads, particularly birds, Mc Murray said he took that as inspiration to create an emotionally powerful piece.
“[These creatures] just died and we all just rushed past and we don’t really think about that very much but clearly what we do has a lot of impacts.
“That’s just incredibly sad and I think it’s avoidable. So I wanted to make a sculpture that would draw attention to that.”
The beautifully carved and crafted cypress tree trunk depicts a lifeless bird, wings slightly expanded and fanning out, with blackened streaks filtered between the bright orange.
Living in Kallista, Mc Murray was in the heart of the June storm affected area where trees fell in the thousands.
Getting out after the initial crisis moment, he spoke to neighbours and his community to source trees that could be used in his sculptures.
“It feels transformational. It feels like you’re taking something where there’s been a lot of hurt and pain and damage to people and then you’re creating [something new].”
For Mc Murray the carving of fallen logs is quite a meditative and reflective experience that he wanted to share with his community.
After experiencing the storms he started working with a group called Rescue Logs, to offer solutions to homeowners who had trees fall but didn’t know what to do with them.
As part of the healing process particularly for children, a book was published by the group with the illustrations from the Mount Dandenong Primary School students and a Master Plan for Kalorama Park is in the works to create a natural playspace made from recycled wood.
Mc Murray also wants to create a sculpture from one of the fallen trees to be erected in a place that encourages people to reflect.
Having taken home the prestigious prize of the Yering Station Sculpture Exhibition, Mc Murray said he was pleased to know the judges understood his purpose in creating the piece and the conversation was being continued in different circles.
“They spoke about using the grain, using the attributes of the material to help not just with the structure but to help with the messaging,” he said.
“What really touched my heart was that they mentioned you couldn’t observe this piece and not feel sad for the subject matter and that was my biggest goal.”
Mc Murray has exhibited works all around the state and country but he said having the recognition of his fellow community members who understand the local environment was a wonderful acknowledgement.
“I feel very privileged. It’s rare to make a sale. It’s really rare to win a prize. So these things are just wonderful when they happen. That’s not the reason I do this. The reason you do this is for just growing your work, having that conversation.
“If these things didn’t exist, then we wouldn’t get to be better artists because you wouldn’t have these places to get this conversation going.”
This conversation is being continued by Mc Murray at a Hanging Rock Winery exhibition where his transformative work ‘Storm Leaves’ takes the damage of the storm and creates something beautiful.
