Ice Age Art Is a Chip Off The Old Block

Ice age art is chip off the old block

BY LLOYD GORMAN

Readers will have probably picked up on the “statues and statutes” theme running through this edition of Irish Scene, its hard to miss and was done for good reasons. Just as we were putting the finishing touches to it to get it ready for the printers, these two totally separate worlds came face to face briefly in an unpredictable confluence of events. Well known Perth criminal lawyer John Rando was putting on a Friday evening alfresco gig with some

Above: Quentin and Jenna-Lee from Ice Sculptures Perth with their polar bear carved from ice. Bottom: The finished sculpture, with “Arrive to Paradise” featuring behind

museo mates - collectively the Zucchini Brothers - on Rokeby Road, Subiaco so I headed down with a camera to check it out. You could hear the music and see a bit of a crowd gathered around the source of the melody, a good sign. The players were in fine fettle. I joked with John - who was strapped to an accordion - if he was still ‘practising’ at being a lawyer. Two lawyers enter a court room and your chances of winning are 50/50 he replied. “It’s terrible, you wouldn’t sleep in your bed if there was a 50/50 chance your house was going to burn down,” he said. His amp was weighted down to the trolly with two tomes of Gatley on Libel and Slander (7th edition) and Criminal Procedure, published by Butterworths. But right in front of them another form of entertainment and art was literally taking shape. The shape of a polar bear was emerging from a 140kg solid block of ice, the type you normally only see in movies. Quintin (looking like a fisherman from a deep sea trawler) and Jenna-Lee Smith from Ice Sculptures Perth were carving the distinctive sculpture, which when finished was put on display until it melted away into the night. All the while the directly

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neighbouring bronze sculpture (which also incorporates a seat) “Arrive to Paradise” by Iraqi artist Ayad Alquaragholli made a magnificent backdrop. Most passerbys stopped for a look at the curious artwork being created in front of their eyes. A fair few also hung around for the vibe of the event. Tony Costa, former child migrant from Ireland and ex-mayor of Subiaco - and friends and others watched and listened to everything that was going on. Organised by See Subiaco, further free and live performances with a range of artists and ice sculptures are planned at the same spot - Forrest Walk and Rokeby Road - starting from about 3pm every Friday in July until the 31st.

Above: John Rando (centre) and the Zucchini Brothers on Rokeby Road, Subiaco

Stuffy sculpture? no way! Six (nearly seven) year old Ewan Gorman discovered sculpture on a recent day out in Fremantle. The bright colours and size of the imposing Coast Guard - created by local Perth sculptor Greg James - outside Cicerello’s attracted his attention first and then a closer inspection of the got a good giggle as well. James created the steel Coast Guard for Sculpture by the Sea at Bondi Beach in 2010 and Cottesloe the following year as part of the Pawn Project, to challenge the way people think about the chess pawn piece. The steel statue was given a brand new lick of paint (current colours) in 2015. “Originally, it was a temporary arrangement to have the statue outside the restaurant but to make it permanent, it needed protection from the elements,” Cicerello’s owner Henry Liascos said.

Fab Freo Staying in Fremantle, as well as being in a beautiful beachside location, Kidogo Arthouse is also a thing of beauty itself. The 1884 built heritage listed Old Kerosene Store - under the creative management of Irish

Australian Joanna Robertson - makes an ideal place for drama productions, readings, concerts and the like and has one of the best watering holes in town - the Kelp Bar. It is also a fabulous gallery space and was used to house and as a backdrop to a number of pieces earlier this year (Feb 15-March 2) for the Sculpture At Bathers exhibition. Because it’s held on a biennial basis, the next exhibition won’t be staged there until 2022, but there’s nothing stopping you from getting down there any time before then and enjoying Kidogo and the lovely locality.

“It brightens up the area and people coming into Cicerello’s often take photos with it, finding it to be a talking point. The statue gives both Cicerello’s and the surrounding Fishing Boat Harbour area a real vibrancy and energy.”

Above and right: Featured pieces at Kidogo Arthouse in Fremantle