Wara Art Presented by LiveLighter
Past Event
If you’ve never heard of Wara Art, that is all about to change. While some rural communities have their scarecrows, Japan and now York, WA has Wara Art – a spectacular example of a highly creative use of straw.
Wara (rice straw) Art was developed as a way of finding a creative use of the excess straw leftover at the end of the rice harvest. Once used to make things like tatami mats, rice straw has been replaced by modern synthetic materials, leaving farmers with an abundance of straw. The resulting sculptures spawned a new art practice and Wara Art Festivals are now held each year throughout Japan. Last year York created three sculptures: the Bilby, the Tortoise and the Frog. These sculptures have aged gracefully over the year and will be available to view on the new Wara Art walking trail around York later this year.
Meanwhile, in August 2019 Professor Shingo Miyajima, Akira Moriya and Masaharu Noguchi, veterans of around twenty five Wara art sculptures, will travel to York to oversee the construction of four representations of endangered Australian fauna, made using locally sourced wheat straw.
Professor Miyajima, Mr Moriya and Mr Noguchi are working alongside artists that include fibre weaver Fiona Gavino, sculptor Yuko Takahashi and Ilsa Bennion to create the sculptures which are being installed throughout York’s town centre.
The York Festival extends an invitation to artists and anyone interested in volunteering to help in their construction. All you need to do is find a day or two to spare between 19th August and September 30th. Want to know more? Email hello@yorkfestival.com.au
Visit - www.yorkfestival.com.au for more information on this and other festival events.