In 2019, Force of Nature artists Dan Monceaux and Emma Monceaux are teaming up with SpinFX AustrAliA artists Bob Daly and Kalyna Micenko to deliver an exciting new community cultural development art project entitled “It Came From the Harbour”. Conceived by the participating artists and presented by the Port Adelaide Artists Forum, the project is designed to celebrate and raise community awareness of the marine and coastal flora and fauna of the Port (Adelaide) River through observation, recording and art-making.
The project will take place in three stages, and span the first half of 2019. There will be many ways for people of all ages to participate in the project, either as a nature observer/photographer (capturing images of Port River biodiversity), a creative artist (making art inspired by nature) or as a volunteer exhibition attendant/guide.
The schedule for the project is rapidly taking shape. An official launch event will occur in February at Gallery Yampu (date TBC). The event will introduce the project, and the various ways people can participate. It will also present a visually rich guest lecture on the biodiversity of the Port Adelaide river, and show people how to contribute their own nature sightings.
Two days of community snorkeling days will follow in February-March with project partners, Experiencing Marine Sancturaries.
Meanwhile, Bob Daly and Kalyna Micenko will run workshops with school and community groups, helping them to design and make various depictions of the animals and plants that call the Port River home.
The final stage of the project will be a month-long art exhibition in Gallery Yampu (northwestern corner of the Birkenhead Bridge), which will transform the gallery into a vivid and colourful coastal and underwater world, teeming with biodiversity. The walk-in installation will combine community-made and professionally-guided sculptural art with photographic and video imagery, and field notes for nature lovers.
We are delighted to announce that the project has received funding from the South Australian government through its arts funding agency, Arts SA.
Tiny hermit crab, Port River – Dan Monceaux 
Bryozoans on jetty pile, Port River – Dan Monceaux 
Rock pool shrimp, Port River – Dan Monceaux 
Godiva nudibranch, Port River – Dan Monceaux 
Crab on jetty pile, Port River – Dan Monceaux 
Myxicola fanworm, Port River – Dan Monceaux 
Colonial ascidians on jetty pile, Port River – Dan Monceaux 
Oyster blenny on jetty pile, Port River – Dan Monceaux 
Christmas Tree Hydroid, Port River – Dan Monceaux
Part 1 – Nature observation
The Port Adelaide project on iNaturalist is online and accepting contributions now. The website is free to join, and photographic sightings of all forms of life are invited. If you’re unsure of what a plant or animal is, don’t worry… just upload it! The “crowd” of amateur and professional naturalists there is eager to help identify it with you. The project is geographically bound to include the entire Port River, from the mouth of the estuary at Outer Harbor to St. Kilda, past Torrens and Garden islands, south through the inner harbour, West Lakes and out to sea via the West Lakes inlet. If you make an observation anywhere in this area and upload it to iNaturalist (the mobile app is an easy option for adding terrestrial sightings), it will automatically appear in the project.. and if it’s really great, it might even be selected for the final exhibition!
Part 2 – Sculptural art-making
During Part 2, professional artists Bob Daly and Kalyna Micenko will lead a series of art-making workshops, inspired by the photographic work of citizen scientists. Workshop dates will be organised with community and school groups directly at dates TBC.
Part 3 – Immersive exhibition
During Part 3, a curated selection of community-made artwork, photographs and video will be installed at Gallery Yampu as a free “walk-in” exhibition experience.
Do you want to find out more or get involved?
