Rural Utopias Residency: Georgie Mattingley in Karlkula / Kalgoorlie-Boulder #3, ‘Boulder Town Hall’
Georgie Mattingley is currently working with the community of Karlkula / Kalgoorlie-Boulder. This residency forms part of one of Spaced’s current programs, Rural Utopias.
Georgie Mattingley is a visual artist based in Mparntwe-Alice Springs, Australia, making photographs, paintings, videos and public installations. Her work uses colour and beauty and to make society’s hidden spaces more visible.
Here, Georgie shares update #3, ‘Boulder Town Hall’
The Boulder Town Hall is home to a unique masterpiece called ‘The Goatcher Curtain’. This giant ‘curtain’ is actually a painting, measuring 6.25m x 8.45m. It was created as a drop canvas to complement and close the ‘picture frame’ stage. In the centre of the curtain is depicted a shipwreck scene in Naples, Italy. This painting is famous and a major tourist attraction in the City, as it is believed to be one of the last remaining theatre curtains of its kind in the world.
By combing two cultural gems of the Goldfields, the Goatcher Curtain with the Super Pit mine, I hope to equally shed light and value to the grit and the glamour that contributes to the social life and culture here.
One Saturday morning, I hosted another painting workshop. Together with a number of local helpers, we created a contemporary rendition of the Goatcher Curtain, replacing the original scene of Naples in the centre with a landscape painting of the Super Pit.
Image 1/2: Painting the Curtain at Boulder Town Hall
Image 3: Painting the Curtain with Nasanya Ling
Courtesy Georgie Mattingley
