South Australia’s first augmented reality mural in Kingston SE, showcasing the town’s natural features, 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 tonight.
The Kingston SE mural by Sarah Boese, nominated by the Kingston District Council, nudged out ‘2 Kool 4 Skool’, a Lightning Ridge (NSW) mural of six zany emus painted by renowned artist John Murray with the help of the opal mining town’s children, which took out the Silver Award, and Bronze Award winner, a mural painted as a show of strength by two female street artists, Kaff-Eine & Mimmim, for the Darwin Street Art Festival.
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, “This mural is contributing significantly to making Australia a more vibrant, creative and interesting country – somewhere visitors want to explore more keenly”.
Awards Director, Liz Rivers, added “Australia has a long history of creating superlative public art that captivates visitors.
Until these Awards were launched in 2018 though there had never been a way of rewarding and supporting places like Kingston SE that created these art-related experiences for travellers.
The Australian Street Art Awards remedied that shortcoming”. In commenting on the Kingston District Council’s Gold Award win, the judges said that the technology element of bringing marine creatures and the fun of the beach to life captivated their imagination.
“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,” the judges said.
2021 Gold winners are:
Best of the Best: SWELL Sculpture Festival, Gold Coast QLD
Best Entrance Art: Gunimidjina Gwala Daraniki, Darwin NT
Best External Mural: Wind Dance, Kingston SE SA
Best Landmark Sculpture: Accessible Cuttlefish Throne, Whyalla SA
Best Mega Mural: Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Mural, Gunnedah NSW
Best Monument or Memorial: Vincent Lingiari Memorial Mural, Darwin NT
Best Rural Art: The Horsepower Highway, Gnowangerup WA
Best Sculpture Park or Trail: The Horsepower Highway, Gnowangerup WA
Best Street Art Festival or Event: SWELL Sculpture Festival, Gold Coast QLD
Best Street Art Laneway: Fifth Lane Street Art Mackay, Mackay QLD
Best Street Art Tour: Frankston Street Art Walking Tours, Frankston VIC
Best Street Art Trail: Heesco Town, Yarram VIC
