Just lacking art and soul?
Punters lukewarm over latest instalment of the Swell Sculpture Festival
IF art is in the eye of the beholder, this year’s instalment of the Gold Coast’s beloved Swell Sculpture Festival is out of focus according to lay critics.
Now in its 16th year, Swell was modelled on the world’s largest free sculpture exhibition, Sculpture by the Sea, on the beach from Bondi to Tamarama in Sydney.
The Gold Coast festival launched as a weekend in 2003 with 23 sculptures, expanding in 2004 with works by renowned Queensland artist Christopher Trotter and international artists Andy Scott (Scotland) and Nick Horrigan (UK).
According to attendance figures provided to the council by Swell, the now 10-day event attracted 268,650 visitors in 2016 and 285,000 in 2017 – a figure that makes it the largest non-ticketed event on the Gold Coast.
Organisers estimate it injects more than $6 million into the local economy.
Despite attractions such as Prickles the Unhuggable Bear, winner of this year’s $15,000 Swell Sculpture Prize, and Ivan Lovatt’s You’re Terrible Muriel (a giant galah), the festival has failed to create the word-ofmouth buzz generated in previous years – in person or on social media.
As of 6pm yesterday, there were 837 posts on Instagram hashtagged #swell2018 – a hashtag relating not only to the works currently on display at Currumbin, but to calls for submissions, the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games flowers installation at the athletes village (recycled at Swell 2018), the crocheted sea urchin that featured as part of the Games’ Festival 2018, general beach and surfing-related posts, a self-help course and a Swell Music Festival in Ireland.
The Bulletin contacted Swell co-founder and curator Natasha Edwards and creative director Ruth Della yesterday for comment in response to this year’s exhibition, but did not receive an answer.
Swell regular Trevor Gordon took to the festival’s Facebook page to lament this year’s event. “Have just visited the 2018 Swell Sculpture Festival and must say was very disappointed in this year’s Festival. Was nowhere near as good as the last 4 years or so,” he wrote.
Diane Henderson agreed: “Not as good as some years – too much right on the sand, not enough on grassy areas.”
Swell curator and director Natasha Edwards, who owns the festival’s IP address and cofounded the event 16 years ago, and creative director Ruth Della sit on the event’s curatorial panel. Fellow panellists this year were Gold Coast City Council Senior Arts and Culture Project Officer – Public Art Jenni Baxter, Professor Adrian Carter from Bond Uni’s Abedian School of Architec- ture and Dust Temple Gallery curator Isla Wilson.
The festival is a not-forprofit organisation with DGR and TCC status governed by a board of directors that has agreements with and receives funding from various stakeholders including the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and Tourism and Events Queensland and Gold Coast City Council.
Its board, chaired by Philip Follent, is comprised of Edwards, Griffith University School of Humanities associate professor Patricia Wise, Quadrant Creative marketing agency CEO Tony Scott and Fotomedia creative director Lincoln Williams.
The festival’s 2016-2017 income statement to the Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission shows a total revenue of $548,045. The figure comprised $275,568 in government revenue and grants, $89,083 from donations and bequests, $85,492 from goods or services, $97,902 from projects income and $392 in interest.
Total expenses were $517,878, including $155,000 in consultants’ fees (up from $117,900 in 2016) and $310,227 in professional and festival expenses (down from $418,364).