Ian Strange’s first permanent public sculpture navigates the scientific past and present of the local South Melbourne area. Commissioned by Wonderment Walk Victoria and gifted to the City of Port Phillip, this sculpture is constructed to replicate a local roof peak. It explores local stories, the history of flooding within the area as well as the current threats of a rising water table. The sculpture also addresses climate change and the possibility of future urban flooding.
Alongside this sculpture is a video that explores the behind-the-scenes process of making the work whilst also focusing on work’s locale, with interviews from historians and scientists alike. This video aims to emphasise the possibility of severe weather changes whilst utilising a relatable context: the city itself.
Additionally, Ian Strange has collaborated with science educators to produce a free primary education resource to be used as companion material for the sculpture. We hope that both neighbouring South Melbourne Primary School and other young visitors to the area will be able to use the information and activities in the education package to inspire in-depth learning about the sculpture’s many themes.
Ian Strange is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores architecture, space and the home. His practice includes creating large-scale multifaceted community projects and exhibitions resulting in photography, sculpture, installation, site-specific works, film, documentary works and exhibitions. His studio practice includes painting and drawing, as well as ongoing research and archiving projects. He is best known for his ongoing series of suburban architectural interventions and photographic works.
Strange has held solo exhibitions at the National Gallery of Victoria (SUBURBAN, 2011-13), The Canterbury Museum, New Zealand (FINAL ACT, 2013) and participated in the 2014 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art at the Art Gallery of South Australia with Landed, a commissioned sculptural installation on the forecourt of the gallery.
In 2017, ABCTV released Home: The Art of Ian Strange a 6-part documentary series looking at his career and work to date.
His work sits in private and public collections including - the National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of South Australia, Art Gallery of Western Australia and The Canterbury Museum.
