Eve Jeffery
Making rubbish look great is the outcome of a recent art competition in Lismore – Indigenous art, koalas, rainbows, bats and lorikeets all feature in artwork that will soon be printed onto new bins in Carrington Street.
The call for murals to beautify the bins is part of the Lismore Laneways Project designed to create a more vibrant CBD to support our local businesses.
The artworks were created by local artists as part of the Design A Bin competition which received close to 50 entries.
Diversity of our community
Lismore City Council Mayor Vanessa Ekins congratulated the six winning artists and thanked those who entered. ‘The winning artwork reflects the diversity of our community and will draw visitors into our fantastic vibrant laneways, which is great for our CBD businesses,’ she said.
The competition, in collaboration with the Back Alley Gallery, is being supported by Northern Rivers Waste in conjunction with The Lismore Laneways Project.
A positive impact on the CBD and businesses
Lismore City Council’s Manager of Liveable and Active Communities Tony Duffy said the Lismore Laneways Project will have a positive impact on the CBD and businesses. ‘Already rich with local art, the Design A Bin competition will make our laneways even more of a destination that is truly unique to Lismore, bringing tourism and supporting local businesses,’ he said.
‘The Lismore Laneways Project will also activate underutilised land, create new public space at the city centre while showcasing local art.’
The six selected artists chosen to feature on the new bins on Carrington Street are Interwoven: People & Place by Carmen Grady, The Heart of Lismore by Rebekkah Cottam, Everything Lismore by Nina Hurr, Birds & Bats by Morgan Beresford, Cattle Dog & Rainbow by Mish Moran and Respect & Effort by Rasharnie Smith.
The character and uniqueness of Lismore
One of the winning artists is Morgan Beresford says she the criteria for the competition was artwork that reflected the character and uniqueness of Lismore. Artists were also given a colour pallete which she incorporated in to her piece Birds & Bats.
Ms Beresford says the artwork took about a day to complete and was done over a few sittings. ‘My piece was created digitally, which is a very new process/medium for me. It gives you the opportunity to manipulate and layer your work and create in high definition. I’ve been increasingly doing more digital work like this piece as of this year, it’s an incredibly dynamic way to create.’
A rare opportunity
Ms Beresford the prize was having your artwork printed and installed on the side of bins in Lismore. ‘It’s a rare opportunity to have your artwork displayed and produced in that manner.’
Ms Beresford says that over the past few years she been doing commission-based work mainly of Australian birds and wildlife. ‘This design uses many of my usual subjects. Illustration and particularly digital art has paved the way for me to illustrate and work in a few of the film and television productions in the area over The last 12 months. It’s incredibly humbling to be a local artist and illustrate for something so creative and high calibre.’
Ms Beresford says she really enjoyed the project and congratulated Lismore Council on the concept. ‘I thought it was a great idea and I hope to see more similar competitions in the future from Council.
‘It’s an amazing experience to be a local artist and to leave a mark on the town you grew up in.’
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