Why Island life inspires the arts. What is it about Pittwater’s offshore communities that attracts creative, artistic people? This author pondered this question a few years ago while operating a barge service. A young couple was moving onto Scotland Island. A time had been arranged to meet the removalist truck at the Church Point cargo wharf and labourers arranged to take the furniture across the water and into their new home. Came a phone call about 12.30pm: the removalists were taking longer than expected. The rendezvous was delayed several times until the truck finally arrived around 5.30pm. As it was Friday afternoon, people were beginning to gather at Church Point for their Friday evening social gathering. I found two more willing labourers: the furniture loaded onto the barge and the last of the boxes carried up the hill just after midnight. As we enjoyed a beer with these new Island residents. I looked at the removalist “crew”: a journalist, an animator, a photographer, a cinematographer and a family visitor. Where else would you find such a group lugging furniture around but on Scotland Island? Pittwater’s offshore communities proudly boast a feast of talented artists; painters and sculptors, musicians, authors and architects. One of the focal points in recent years has been the transformation of the Scotland Island Fair to the Scotland Island Festival, a celebration of Island living with a great emphasis on the arts. Multi-talented Claire Atkins is hard at work with a host of like minded Islanders working up the 2006 festival which runs from October 14 to November 4. It will bring together painters, writers, musicians, film makers and much more in a celebration of this unique community. |
A new feature is a film festival of which Claire is the director, as well as organiser of musical entertainers for the event. The film festival has evolved from humble backyard beginnings. Claire and husband Luke hosted film nights in their yard, showing whatever Hollywood release they could find on 16mm film. These attracted many island residents, including two local film makers, Michael Edols and Mike Molloy. Claire recalls, after one screening Michael Edols approached her and asked: “Would you show one of my films?” A quick glance at the works of Edols and Molloy show they are film makers with a long standing in the industry. Edols has worked on a host of feature films and documentaries during his career. Molloy’s first jobs in feature films included camera operator on Performance and Walkabout. As a camera operator he worked with Stanley Kubrick on A Clockwork Orange and Barry Lyndon. The backyard film shows evolved into the establishment of the Island Film Festival. Claire points out there has always been art on the Island and the Island artists have always been working. |
 Claire Atkins in front of her mural gilded with silver leaf. |
Claire majored in painting and then began working with clay. The move to Scotland Island saw her change tack, taking up print making. Coupled with her love of acting, arts and creative writing, Claire has written her first screen play, with the help of Jackie Turnure, and is making the film One Little Room with director Tracey Rowe for the Film Festival. Mike Molloy is Director of Photography. “The film festival is not just for Island film makers,” Claire said. “We are looking for people who want to share creativity with others, and have other film makers take part.”
Music is another significant art on the Island, enjoyed in many forms from rock and pop, to electro and hip hop to jazz and classical. A few years ago, the Scotland Island Players performed William Shake-speare’s As You Like It, adapted to make it relevant to Island living. The production included original music written by Island resident, John Lloyd, and played by a chamber ensemble made up of brass, wind and strings. Performances of original music are well known on the Island. In December 2005, renowned record producer, Martin Erdman’s Iskybibble was staged featuring actors and musicians of all ages from the Island. Martin co-wrote the children’s theatrical piece with Stewart Smith and it enjoyed a debut in 1975 at the Sydney Opera House. Martin is also credited with working with some of Australia’s great performers, both through his own Du Monde Records and as a producer with Festival Records. He produced Australia’s first ever million selling single, which went ‘gold’ in the USA and Australia, the ‘rock’ version of The Lord’s Prayer by Sister Janet Mead. He also recorded Peter Allen’s original version of I Still Call Australia Home and was responsible for recording many live albums at the Sydney Opera House, including the Rolf Harris concert in September 1973, the first variety concert held in the new Concert Hall.
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Matt Trapnell is an Island musician who believes the area attracts creative people to it. Matt, who also performs and records as Trapazoid, said people get inspired by the elements. “I get great inspiration from the National Park,” he said. “This area is hard to beat.” He said artistic people, as much as they kick and scream about the city, need the corporate world as consumers of their works. “Artists need an outlet; living on Scotland Island is like living in Mullumbimby - the same sort of appeal - but you are living in Sydney,” he said. Matt will play at this year’s Scotland Island Festival. The music at this year’s festival will have a blues and roots theme and as well as Matt, performers will include Melbourne-based country singer/songwriter Cindy Boste and her band. Cindy performed a solo show on the Island in December and is keen to return for more. Sydney band Mitch Grainger and The Grove Lounge will perform along with 2004 festival crowd-pleasers, The Pigs with their hillbilly funk.
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For Scotland Island painter and author, Nettie Lodge, the festival appears to have made the Island’s artists “more serious.” In the past the Island’s artists have held an exhibition at the Scotland Island Community Hall, and while an exhibition will be held on the Island this year, the artists will also show at Newport Artworks as part of the 2006 festival. Nettie said this exhibition would follow on from the success of last year’s exhibition of offshore art at “Tarrangaua” in Lovett Bay, the home of Bob and Sue Story and formerly of famous Australian poet Dorothea Mackellar. (Sue, as Susan Duncan, is the author of a recently published autobiographical best-seller Salvation Creek). “It’s becoming a less amateurish affair,” Nettie said. “There is a ‘renaissance’ of talent; there are more talented people than before.” Nettie, along with fellow artists Dimitri Lihachov and Tracy and Paul Smith are successful artists. Works by Dimitri and Tracy were selected for judging in the 2005 Blake Prize for Religious Art. They were two of 67 entries selected from a field of 465 works submitted. Dimitri, Tracy, Paul and Nettie will be joined by fellow artists Jan Melville, Marion van den Driesschen, Gwyn Perkins and others in submitting works for the Newport Artworks Gallery from October 15 to 19. Gallery curator, Gemma Mardone will select about 30 works from those submitted. By taking works to the Newport gallery it is hoped to expose offshore art to a wider audience. The Island Hall will still be host to artists with works on display from October 26 to 28. Artists have been invited to create totems to be installed just outside the Island community hall.
Nettie’s paintings are a narrative of the places she has been. “They are not necessarily a travel log, but an inward journey,” she said. She has been involved with the production of five books – three as writer and illustrator and the last two for the ABC. “They are children’s books, but they all have some kind of message,” she said. Her current book was inspired after working with orphaned monkeys in South Africa, and part of the royalties from it will go to the Veret Monkey Foundation in South Africa. Like Nettie, other writers find the Island offers a creative place, and this will be highlighted with the release of, an anthology of Island living being compiled by Juliet Robertson. Juliet has received some 50 submissions for the anthology, from professional writers to people who have never written for this kind of project before. “It’s the every day trials and tribulations (of offshore living). These are meaningful and funny stories, about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.” She hopes people would continue to write about their off-shore experiences. |
 Nettie Lodge |
The book has spearheaded a writers group on the Island. Water Access Only will be launched during the festival as part of Writers’ Day on October 14. Local journalist Edna Carew is co-ordinating the writers’ festival where visitors can learn about writing and publishing. It will bring together a diverse line-up of authors, publishers, editors and agents talking about the craft and profession of writing.
Could the “creative bent” of the offshore community be leading a “cultural renaissance” in Pittwater? Be involved with this year’s festival and find out.
More information on the festival web site: www.scotlandislandfestival.org.