WindWells: channelling + divining
WindWells: channelling + divining was on display in the slq Gallery, level 2, State Library of Queensland from 26 June – 17 October 2010. This virtual exhibition is an excerpt from the physical exhibition.
This immersive installation by Pat Hoffie and Stefan Purcell embodied the convergence of art, science, history and magic. It delved into the curiosities of Queensland’s past in an intriguing assemblage of projections, moving parts and a windmill.
Using the John Oxley Library collection as inspiration, the artists were drawn to the image of the Australian agricultural windmill. The windmill's function is to draw the precious resource of water, and this became a metaphor for drawing memory and history from the collections. It brought to the surface intriguing stories of invention and showmanship in Queensland during the Victorian era.
The exhibition also included a research hub which retraced the artist’s journey through the collections, highlighting what is possible when a contemporary visual artist is let loose to explore the John Oxley Library. What emerged was a rich resource of photographs, film, catalogues and newspaper articles that together starting painting a unique picture of Queensland around 1885.
A take home activity for children was available from the research hub. The activity mirrored the artist’s journey by encouraging children to let their loose their imagination to build and transform a windmill of their own.
"We came across a number of fascinating characters: the Griffiths brothers from Toowoomba, renowned for their refinement of windmills; Mr Palethorpe, whose mysterious capacity for water divining was legendary, and the internationally acclaimed British academic with a chequered past, Professor Pepper, who created a device to make ghosts appear on stage.
"When we started to realise the potential crossover between the Griffith Brothers and Professor Pepper - all working in the name of science and progress and invention, and all within cooee of each other at the end of the nineteenth century right here in South East Queensland, it started to get really exciting."
Artist Pat Hoffie
WindWells Resources
- View images of the exhibition
- Download the catalogue [new window
2mb] - Listen to Pat Hoffie and Stephen Purcell talk about the exhibition [new window]
Children's Activities
The State Library gratefully acknowledges the sponsorship this exhibition received.
More information
- Phone: +61 7 3840 7768
- Email: learningparticipation@slq.qld.gov.au
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Last updated: 5th December 2011
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