AMAZING CREATIONS

THE annual Strand Ephemera attracts artists from around North Queensland and beyond to create outdoor artworks along The

Strand.

Only a select few school groups have the opportunity to participate in the Strand Ephemera, with William Ross State School and St Patrick’s College both to enter their creations in this year’s event.

William Ross are participating for the first time, preparing a unique interactive artwork titled Future Astronomers Illuminated.

Students have been working to create the handmade geodesic dome for most of the year, which features interchanging star constellations.

Teacher Rose Rush said the entire dome stands about three metres tall and five metres wide.

“The concept is encouraging everybody to essentially stop and reconnect with the ancient stars above,” she said.

“It’s going to have a big solar panel on the top so it’ll be sustainable as well. It’ll be essentially unmanned for the whole Strand Ephemera, it’ll just run. Battery World are going to donate the solar panels and the batteries for us, so we’re getting a hand from the community to make it happen.”

The students have been working on their creation mostly after school, and have put in hours of time over the school holidays to complete the work before bump-in day on July 22.

Year 10 student Joshua Blair, 15, and Year 9 student Ashleigh Dalton, 14, said there was a wide variety of learning areas being used to construct the work.

“We had to make the skin to cover the dome, so we had to cut all these different triangles and do a bit of maths to work out the circumference, and we sewed it together,” Ashleigh said.

“We’re going to have astroturf and yoga mats on the ground, you lay down and (look at) the constellations. We’re going to laser-cut some (signs) to explain the constellations and the Aboriginal stories behind them, so people can come and connect.”

“There’s science for the actual star constellations that we’re going to do with fibre optics, there’s technology which help build the dome, there’s engineering and maths to work out how all the triangles go together,” Joshua added.

“It’s a great experience to see how people work together and how they can make something like this. When everything’s up and running it’s going to look amazing, we’re really looking forward to it.”

St Patrick’s College are creating a piece titled Plenty More, featuring dozens of ceramic fish and an intricately woven life-size fisherman.

The students are aiming to make 200 clay fish and marine animals in total to put towards the creation.

Year 11 Visual Art student Isabelle Lawrence, 16, has been heavily engaged in the college’s Strand Ephemera project club.