Laughing Waters Road - group exhibition

My first artist-in-residence experience was in 2009, at Laughing Waters in Eltham Victoria, along with composer Kate Moore. For four weeks we lived in the Birrarung mud-brick house and had a wonderfully productive time creating works responding to the natural sounds, sights and textures of the area. Nillumbik Shire Council has now been running the Laughing Waters artists-in-residence program for fifteen years, and I'm delighted to be included in this exhibition celebrating the residency's longevity, Laughing Waters Road: Art, Landscape and Memory in Eltham.

Kath Fries, Chasing Rainbows, 2009, photograph
cargocollective.com/kathfries/Chasing-Rainbows-2009
video link - vimeo.com/149921162

My work in the exhibition is Chasing Rainbows 2009, a playful ephemeral work created in the landscaped ponds next the the house. It rained heavily during our residency and these ponds were full to the brim. When the water stilled to a mirror-like reflective surface, I experimented with simple handheld kinetic interventions, gently rocking glass mirror panels in the water so they shimmered with afternoon sunlight that danced whimsical rainbows onto nearby rocks. This video documentation of replicating and directing capricious rainbows conjures the enchanting and temporal nature of my residency at Laughing Waters, being attentive and responsive to that particular time in a wonderful place. 
Laughing Waters Road exhibition invitation
Laughing Waters Road: Art, Landscape and Memory in Eltham
30 January - 14 March 2016
Montsalvat, 7 Hillcrest Ave, Eltham 3095

Artists: David Adams & Evi van der Niet, Penelope Aitken, Hannah Bertram, Craig Burgess & Kate Hill, Tim Burstall, Mirranda Burton, Carolyn Eskdale, Sue Ford, Kath Fries, Anna Glynn, Elizabeth Gower, Loren Grant, Melinda Harper, Eugene Howard, Anderson Hunt, Jessie Imam, Paul Kalemba, Ashlee Laing, Michael Mark, Scott Marr, Leanne Mooney, James Morrison, Joanne Mott, John R Neeson, John Nixon, Jill Orr, Michael Peck, Greg Pryor, Aviva Reed, Cameron Robbins, Melanie Scaife, Camille Serisier, Tetsutoshi Tabata & Mariana Verdaasdonk, Erin Tappe, Arlene Texta Queen, Liz Walker, Andre White and Susan Wirth.