Vicki Dunne MLA

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly for the ACT

MEDIA RELEASE

13 November 2013

NEW WORK WITH OLD LINKS - CYCLORAMA QUILT NOW ON DISPLAY AT LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

Vicki Dunne, MLA, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, today will formally accept a new addition to the Assembly’s art collection.

“The Assembly is happy to welcome the Cyclorama quilt, based on a 1911 print of the Canberra site,” Mrs Dunne said.

Cyclorama quilt was created by a local art quit group called tACTile as part of Canberra’s centenary celebrations.

tACTile was founded in 2001 with the objective of establishing a unique ACT identity and pushing the boundaries of the art-quilt.

The group comprises six members: Jenny Bowker, Dianne Firth, Helen Gray, Beth Miller, and Beth and Trevor Reid - all of whom are acknowledged as leaders in the field of contemporary textiles at local, national and international levels.

Cyclorama was inspired by Robert Coulter's 1911 print, 'Cycloramic View of Canberra Capital Site' from Vernon Hill (now City Hill). The original scene was provided to all prospective entrants in the 1911-1912 international competition to design the ‘Federal Capital City of the Commonwealth of Australia’.

To create the quilt, Coulter’s long print was divided into five segments. The artists reinterpreted their section using their own choice of materials, techniques and style. The work doesn’t aim to create a literal textile reproduction of Coulter’s work. Instead, each artist has sought to capture the essence and mood of Coulter’s Canberra site, but informed by their own experiences of area. Unity is provided by the continuity of the Canberra skyline and the emphasis on the distant ranges, local mounts, hills, spurs and the openness of the valleys.

“Coulter’s paintings and a copy of the print are currently held in the National Archives of Australia. The ACT Legislative Assembly also owns a copy, so it’s very appropriate for this new interpretation of the scene to join our collection,” Mrs Dunne concluded. “We’re delighted to be receiving a work that gives us the opportunity to further enhance our ties with Canberra’s community of visual artists.”

Cyclorama appeared at a Belconnen Arts Centre Exhibition called 100: Celebrating Canberra, from 9-25 August 2013. It now hangs in Legislative Assembly building in the London Circuit corridor.

ENDS