Regrowth is a photographic installation that examines Koroit’s history and landscape through contemporary Australian sculpture.

The work takes imagery from Tower Hill’s cliffs and places them onto the Port Fairy to Warrnambool Rail Trail and surrounding farmland. The work creates the dramatic illusion of a cliffside bursting out of the ground, acknowledging the area’s vibrant, volcanic identity.

The work acts as a marker, acknowledging the Koroitch Gundidj people from the Peek Woorroong Tribe within the Marr Nation as traditional ownersof the land, highlighting their ever-present connection with Tower Hill and Koroit. The area was a shelter and a rich source of food; archaeological surveys have uncovered indigenous artefacts in the volcanic ash layers of Tower Hill.

Local Aboriginal people would undoubtedly have witnessed the eruptions which have made such a significant impact on the region.Tower Hill’s landscape changed dramatically during colonisation and the subsequent years of farming by English and Irish immigrants. Today, Tower
Hill is again covered in native bush, hinting at how the area looked prior to European settlement.

Regrowth references Eugene Von Guérard’s painting Tower Hill, 1855, which was used as a botanical template, over a century after its creation, to reclaim denuded agricultural land and repopulate Tower Hill with indigenous flora and fauna.

This photographic sculpture aims to echo the social and environmental impact of Von Guerard’s artwork, and examines where Koroit has comefrom, where it is now, and where it is headed.

Regrowth was created by James Voller, in a project initiated by Leadership Great South Coast 2017 Alumni and supported by: Regional Development Victoria, The Isobel and David Jones Family Foundation, The Hugh Williamson Foundaion, A L Lane Foundation, South West Community Foundation and Moyne Shire.

Congratulations to 2017 Alumni – Jacinta Lenahan (Project Lead), Leon Senchenko, Shane Stenhouse adn Brendan Hawkins

With thanks to Project Mentor/ LGSC Alumni – Gareth Colliton, Curator Whishart Gallery Port Fairy