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Mildura was once the stage for the Australian Sculpture Triennial, yet over the past two decades art activity has been virtually dormant. The issues of distance, finance and a supportive local community infrastructure, which proved problematic, seem finally to be resolving themselves. A little Government risk capital in the form of the Artist-in-Industry grant to the SunRISE 21 Artists-in-Industry Project two years ago is emerging as a highly successful venture. The project has drawn together five national and international artists, practicing in an alliance with local industry and rural government departments such as the CSIRO and Murray Darling Basin Commission.
Rodney Spooner has been teamed with the First Mildura Irrigation Trust [FMIT], completing the first installment of his project in the form of a three-room installation. The work is centred in the Mildura Art Centres' historic Chaffey Mansion––Rio Vista. Spooner's works have characteristically raised debate on issues of 'Space', how matter and philosophies collide and align themselves in various time frames. His previous work brought subtle physical interventions, such as slabs of concrete, columns, fictitious shop fronts or exquisitely constructed matchstick geometric forms, into the public domain. His cool, pared down aesthetic initially appears subtle but then seems incongruous in these settings, attracting audiences via the intervention of curiosity.
Rodney Spooner's current installation, Pumphouse demonstrates his quest for audience interaction. The work is comprised of three small rooms referred to as the servants quarters: they reflect notions of class and historic references. The interconnected rooms house three large photographs depicting FMIT pumphouses. These large red brick edifices, built nearly a century ago, were constructed to withstand the unpredictable Murray River and guard the physical heart of industry in this district––the