An augmented reality mural in Kingston has won a national art tourism award.
‘Wind Dance’ received the gold award for the Best External Mural at the 2021 Australian Street Art Awards, announced from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast recently.
The mural was created by Sarah Boese and nominated by the Kingston District Council. The Australian Street Art Awards encourage Australians to explore the world-class street and public art that is safely accessible all year round and found in every corner of the country.
With rigorous judging by tourism leaders from across Australia, plus second-tier auditing and due diligence, Kingston’s win has the credence of the art tourism sector.
The judges said the mural was contributing significantly to making Australia a more vibrant, creative and interesting country – somewhere visitors want to explore more keenly.
“The fact that this mural was commissioned in the wake of a devastating bushfire and captures the personality of Kingston with themes that acknowledge nature, Aboriginal culture and coastal lifestyle is a winning combination,” the judges said.
“As the first mural to be painted in Kingston SE our minds boggle as to how the town can possibly trump this fantastic blend of innovative technology and stunning visual artistry. We can hardly wait to see what this community creates next.”
In commenting on the Kingston District Council’s Gold Award win, the judges said the technology element of bringing marine creatures and the fun of the beach to life captivated their imagination.
Kingston District Council chief executive Nat Traeger said the project capitalised on the growth of both art tourism and the world of augmented reality.
“The static mural is fantastic, but the added dimension of movement and sound is immersive and quite spectacular,” she said.
“With tourism rapidly growing in regional SA, council hopes digital experiences like ‘Wind Dance’ will bring more people to Kingston, in turn supporting local businesses, growing the economy and bringing small rural communities together.
“As the community continues to recover from bushfires and impacts of COVID-19; significant projects like ‘Wind Dance’ encourage community pride, generate conversation, support participation and wellbeing through new art pieces. It also emphasises our strong desire to build resilience in our community which recognise and commemorate the devastating 2019 Keilira bushfire, while recognising regrowth, indigenous heritage and coastal living.
“Wind Dance is an example of how council continues to trailblaze its local led disaster recovery program. It is rare that a small regional community like Kingston gets to experience culturally rich and immersive art without having to travel or pay for it. Through its highly regarded community resilience and participation program and high impact, innovative and unique attractions such as ‘Wind Dance’, Council is demonstrating its passion for about community development, community health and wellbeing and the flow on economic benefits of a thriving local community.”
