From repurposed material to masterpiece - the Castaways Sculpture Awards 2021
Updated: 22 Oct 2021
Elise Anthony
The Castaways Sculpture Awards returns to the Rockingham Foreshore in 2021, showcasing works created from repurposed materials. The annual outdoor sculptural exhibition was started in 2008 as a community arts project to raise awareness around the discarded items or ‘castaways’ washing up on local beaches. Today, the exhibition provides an important opportunity for emerging and professional Western Australian artists, schools and local businesses to be a part of a regionally recognised arts program that continues to promote sustainable values.
Castaways Sculpture Awards 2021 will consist of three exhibitions with a prize pool of $26,000. The Main Exhibition and Schools Competition will be displayed at the Rockingham Foreshore. Both primary and secondary schools are invited to participate in the Castaways School Competition with schools designing and creating a sculpture from recycled or repurposed material for public exhibition alongside the work of emerging and professional artists. The Maquette and Small Sculpture Exhibition will be displayed at the Rockingham Arts Centre. This exhibition celebrates the intricacy of small-scale 3D artworks. Emerging and professional artists are invited to create indoor sculptures using recycled and repurposed materials.
This year's exhibition features artist Denise Pepper from Channel 10's Making It. Denise has created an enchanting sculpture, Do I Look Good In This?, made from timber mirror frame, aluminium substructure and coloured stainless steel mirror finish.
A selection of the exhibiting artists will give Artist Talks discussing the concepts and creative processes behind their sculptures. Guest artist, Tania Spencer, a multimedia artist who often works with recycled and found materials, will be hosting a talk on Saturday, October 30. No bookings are required and all talks are free to attend. See the schedule of Artist Talks here.
Visitors are invited to vote for the sculpture that they feel has the greatest impact on them when viewing the exhibition. Voting will occur across all 3 exhibitions and each voter will go into the pool to win the $500 Fremantle Ports Voter’s Prize. To vote, simply scan the QR codes dotted around the exhibitions or in the catalogue. The artist who receives the most votes in the Main Exhibition will win the $1000 Fremantle Ports People's Choice Award. The artist with the most votes in the Maquette and Small Sculpture Exhibition will receive the $500 Fremantle Ports People's Choice Award. Finally, the school that wins the most votes will be presented with a trophy.
The Castaways Photo Competition is also returning for the second year in a row. Visitors are encouraged to snap a photo of their favourite artwork and share it to Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #CastawaysRockingham for a chance to win a $100 Penguin Island Ferry and Discovery Centre Family Pass or $100 Perth Wake Park gift voucher.
The Castaways Sculpture Awards exhibitions will run concurrently from Saturday, October 23 to Sunday, October 31.
Pick up a free Castaways catalogue from the Information Tent at the Rockingham Foreshore, open daily from 9am - 5pm. If any of the sculptures catch your eye, chat to staff at the Information Tent for details on how to purchase.
Beach wheelchairs and walkers will also be available at the Information Tent for people to loan free of charge. These are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Beach access matting will also be available for the duration of Castaways, to help people view the sculptures on the sand.
Castaways Sculpture Awards is presented by the City of Rockingham and in 2021 and curated by Lyn Di Ciero.