Rural Utopias Residency: Bennett Miller in Pwakkenbak / Mount Barker, Final Update

Bennett Miller is currently working with the community of Pwakkenbak / Mount Barker. This residency forms part of one of Spaced’s current programs, Rural Utopias.

Bennett Miller works across sculpture, installation, video and performance. In more recent years Miller's work has moved out of the gallery and into the public realm, through a series of live art performances for festivals and outdoor contexts.

Here, Bennett shares an update on his Rural Utopias residency.

I was sad to leave Mt Barker, even though I had basically been laughed out of town for my exhibition. There was some positive feedback, but the negative stuff tends to stay with you for longer. Among the many gems — probably my favourite was from a young kid that said, ‘This place looks like a torture chamber’ — which was not altogether inaccurate really. Thankfully, I get another go at it in November.

I was sad because I had really grown to love the place, and all the people I had met and that had helped me throughout my 12 weeks there. Special thanks to Marie and Ian, Scott and Di, Sonia and Judith from the choir, Jane Mcintyre and (right at the last minute) Laura. Was great to meet you all, and thankyou for your patience with me and the many introductions to, or education about, the area.

People like me are pretty lucky to get to do things like this- and it really was a pleasure to discover an area that I am not sure I otherwise would have — so thanks also to Marco, Miranda, Soula, Pauline and Alex from SPACED.

One pretty alarming development was hearing that there are apparently designs on mining the Porongorups, which seems to me to be an all time howler of an idea. Not sure its my argument to make- but an argument exists that the Porongorups is actually the most significant indigenous site in the state- believed as it is to be the final resting place of the Wagyl- which itself is believed to have crafted the rest of the state. The Porongorups are also often described as one of (if not the) oldest mountain ranges in the world- dated at 1.1 million years old. The nearby Kalgan River is similarly in the top ten oldest rivers in the world- and happens- quite appropriately- to have the only indigenous river creation story I have ever heard that doesn’t involve the Wagyl. 

Anyway — I really do wonder why anyone would mine it. Aside from all its history, it is also comparatively tiny, has its own unique ecosystem, is untouched (at the top) and is completely serene and beautiful. Perhaps it is appealing to mine there because everything has already popped up through the surface — so you don’t have to dig as far, but I don’t know. The locals assured me they wouldn’t let it happen, and there were a few petitions popping up — but it will be interesting to see what unfolds.

Image credit Bennett Miller.