Treatment 2015
Deakin University
Treatment was a two-day public art project on display on 14 and 21 November 2015 at Melbourne Water’s Western Treatment Plant in Werribee, a 10,500 hectare site incorporating farmland, water treatment facility and world-renown bird habitat.
Curators Professor David Cross and Dr Cameron Bishop from Deakin University School of Commination and Creative Arts invited six leading Australian artists to explore the plant’s sights, sounds, textures and smell over six months.
The six featured artists were:
- Catherine Bell – film installation, The Sublime Passage, projected onto the walls of the swimming pools’ change rooms
- Bindi Cole Chocka – a ‘Scratch ‘n Sniff’ olfactory piece that was explored on the bus tour
- Megan Evans – multimedia installation in the heritage-listed bluestone water tower
- Shane McGrath – performance piece, On The Outer, resurrected the now defunct football team, the Metropolitan Farm Herefords
- Techa Noble – performance work in an area near to the aerating pond
- Spiros Panigirakis – colonised the discovery centre that greets visitors to the plant
The artworks were temporarily displayed at the plant, and free bus tours moved the 500 attendees throughout the site over two days, allowing them to explore the landscape, history and science of the plant through art.
The project was supported by Melbourne Water, Wyndham City Council and Wyndham Community Cultural Foundation.
Photography courtesy of Megan Evans
