SunRice Coleambally Rice Mill
Mayu and Vic commenced this project during the second week of March by staying in Coleambally for the week and working in the mill to start to understand it's possibilities and to meet local people. This culminated in an open day at the mill where visitors came to the site to hear about the upcoming project. Vic, Mayu and Shigeaki returned in September for a three week period to create and present a large scale installation at this site on September 21st.
During this initial research time in March, Vic and Mayu gained an understanding of the rice making process, from Paddy to Plate, meeting local people and learning about sustainability, the future of farming and the importance of community.
Watch and listen to this short 3 minute video made by Mayu and Vic during their short introductory stay at Coleambally. This video features footage of this season's first harvest and the surrounding community.
Every sound you can hear in this video was recorded at the mill, in the storage sheds or in the rice fields. As Mayu filmed and photographed her surroundings, Vic made recordings using the mill as an instrument, recording the rhythms of conveyor belts, the sound of children walking through rice fields, the sound of rice pouring into machinery. Listen and watch to see a beautiful and musical interpretation of Rice Production. Working with the local rice growing community, these three artists traveled from Japan, Sydney and locally to explore cultural meanings of rice and rice growing and to use the mill site and nearby rice fields as a site for contemporary art installation and performance.
This project was supported by the Australia Council for the Arts and SunRice.