A group of over 20 of Australia's leading and most influential artists, this Saturday July 11, will take action to stop development of precious unburnt bushland in Manyana.
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The artists are joining in solidarity with the community's fight against clearing in one of the area's last significant patches of mature unburnt forest.
The event, Occupy the Fence, will take place on from 10am - 4pm on Berringer Rd, Manyana.
Leading artist and local resident, Lara Merrett hopes the event will put a national spotlight on the community's campaign to save the precious bushland and raise awareness for not just the Manyana bush but areas under threat across the country post-bushfires.
"The artist community is throwing its weight behind Manyana Matters, a fantastic grass roots campaign raising awareness about the importance of preserving habitats in bushfire-affected areas," Lara said.
"This is an issue affecting communities right across the country, and with leading artists adding their voices, we can broaden the conversation.
"We hope by doing this we can focus the government's attention on its duty to protect the fragile biodiversity of our country post-bushfires.
"This call to action is something that artists can do in a very tangible way.
"They are change-makers and communicators and now is the time that we can come together as a community.
"This is about the future of our country."
The artists. over the course of the weekend, will be producing artwork to 'occupy the fence' and reclaim it on behalf of the community.
By attaching the work to the two-metre tall security mesh fence that bounds the perimeter of the threatened bushland, they will create an ephemeral outdoor exhibition that will call attention to the campaign.
Artists will be working solo and collaboratively with members of the community to produce works that reflect that the power, beauty and ecological significance of the forest on the site set to be cleared.
Manyana Matters Environmental Association (MMEA) spokesperson Jorj Lowrey said they appreciated the support.
"It is such an honour and thrill to have these amazing and generous artists come to Manyana to support our campaign," she said.
"Their [the artists] involvement will bring wider attention to the very important issue of saving Australia's precious habitats, like this site in Manyana, which are so vital for the preservation of our threatened wildlife and the recovery of ecosystems devastated by last summer's bushfires. I can't wait to see what is created."
About some of the artworks
Real Estate will be a collaborative sculpture project between artists Janet Laurence, Jenny Turpin, Caroline Rothwell and the Manyana community. Real Estate will be building cardboard structures that will sit on the fence as habitats.
The local community is invited to make local plants and animals out of cardboard to inhabit the structures.
Alexandra Standen will collect clay from the local beaches and will work with the community to create ceramic gifts that will sit along the perimeter of the land.
Jodie Whalen will create a banner using recycled textiles, and run a short photographic series of the sky to be shared to her social media accounts.
Background about the Manyana Matters campaign
Following the catastrophic fires of last summer, huge tracts of the forests on the eastern seaboard of Australia were burnt beyond recognition.
More than a billion native animals were killed. With almost 90 per cent of the Shoalhaven's National Park land burnt by the Currowan Mega Fire, the site in Manyana (recently named the Manyana Landscape Conservation Area by the National Trust) is a vital ecosystem.
Volunteers from the Rural Fire Service in Manyana fought valiantly to save this mature forest which has become a refuge for animals that survived, some of which have been recently listed for urgent management intervention following the fires.
This includes species such as the Glossy Black Cockatoo, Gang-Gang Cockatoo and Mainland Dusky Antechinus which have been sighted on or near the area recently.
A developer, relying on a 12-year-old development approval, is planning to destroy this sanctuary to make way for a housing subdivision.
Manyana has been left traumatised by the recent Black Summer with both the people and wildlife dependent on this block of unburnt habitat to restore what was.
The list of artists
Abdul Abdullah, Agatha Gothe Snape, Alexandra Standen, Anna-Wili Highfield, Caroline Rothwell, Deborah Kelly, James Drinkwater, Jane Theau, Janet Laurence, Jason Phu, Jasper Knight, Jenny Turpin, Joan Ross, Jodie Whalen, Jonny Niesche, Juz Kitson, Larraine Larri, Laura Jones, Leila Jeffreys, Lottie Consalvo, Lucas Davidson, Marisa Purcell, Mitch Cairns, Natalie O'Loughlin and Tom Polo.