Artist Jenny McCracken has completed a new public artwork in Barraba. The work called “Beyond the Walls’ graces the southern wall of the historic Treloars Building on Alice Street, only a few metres from Queen Street.
The large artwork has already created lots of positive local buzz, with lockdown conditions meaning out of area visitors will have to wait a little longer to see the work in person. The artwork was painted by Jenny McCracken and creatively produced by Andi Mether of Zest Events International.
Barraba has a public art committee who have organised this project, auspiced by the community group Barraba Community Inc. The committee (Angela Croll, Karen Bishton, Emily Bowman and Andy Wright), aims to increase tourism through developing destination artworks. The silo artwork by Fintan Magee has been undeniably successful in raising Barraba’s profile and attracting visitors. This second artwork is located in the town’s CBD and is intended to further attract attention, and spending, to Barraba.
Artist’s description: ‘Beyond the Walls’ – Alice Street, Barraba NSW
‘Beyond the walls’ is an illusory image of breaking through the constructs of civilization to a wonderland of treasured memories and natural beauty. Horton Falls, backdrop of the mural, is a local landmark where generations of Barraba families have enjoyed refreshing afternoons, camping, swimming, picnicking and exploring. Now flowing freely again, after many dry years, the site is almost restored to its remembered glory.
The surrounding bush is a haven for wildlife, birds in particular. Barraba itself is teeming with boldly coloured birdlife. Five of the more than a dozen different species of parrots found locally are featured here, including the rarest, and one of the most common. The little swift parrot, and the galah are the smallest and largest birds depicted, and a king parrot, a red rumped parrot and an eastern rosella, along with a pacific, or white necked heron all appear to be taking flight. You can imagine whoops and calls of delight have disturbed peace, as a figure swings out over the deep pool at the base of the falls.
Human activities in nature, and the response of the birds and animals we share this world with, are narratives often explored in my work. I want to draw people into a relationship with the image, and with the characters, human or otherwise depicted, and that connection will inspire them to create a story of their own.
In total there are eight different animals to be found in the daytime image. By Jane Harris