Sculpture by the Sea started at Bondi Beach back in 1997. For years I’ve been meaning to get there to see what’s on show but I’ve always been put off by the crowds of people who make their way there every year.
This year the obvious answer occurred to me.
Go at night.
So I packed up my camera, tripod, torches and husband and headed to the coast to see what was on offer.
I chose the evening carefully. There was a full moon and the sky was pretty clear. There were a few clouds shooting past pretty damn quickly, but if anything, that made conditions even better.
What didn’t make conditions better was my timer packing it in within an hour of arrival. Suddenly I’m limited to the longest exposure the camera can handle natively. In my book, that’s not long enough.
Anyway, the stand-out result for me was this one – “I have been dreaming to be a tree” by Byeong Doo Moon.
Byeong Doo Moon - I have been dreaming to be a tree.
I actually almost missed it as I walked past. It was perched high up on the hill and it was only because I was watching the moon that I even saw it.
The moon was just rising over the hill as I rushed to get the shot.
While the timer was still working, I did manage to grab this next shot. It was positioned in a spot where there was no street lights or other stray light sources. It’s lit purely by moonlight.
Steven Thomson and Jonas Allen - Message in a bottle.
It’s a bit misleading, actually. The bottle here is sitting on the top of the cliff and it’s about 2m long. Without any reference it’s easy to believe that this is a “close-up” shot.
I love the light the moon creates. Like a huge reflector 400,000km away. There’s a beautiful softness to the light.
The last image I’m posting here isn’t what I would call a great one. But it’s the stand-out sculpture of the exhibition – Simon McGrath’s “Who left the tap running?”
Simon McGrath - Who left the tap running?
Once again most of what you see is lit by moonlight. Sadly, there was a nasty low pressure sodium street light nearby casting that sharply cropped orange glow on the tap. Greig steadfastly refused to climb the light pole and smash the bulb so I had to make do.
My plan was to get back there now that I’ve repaired the timer, but the reality is that it probably won’t happen.
Maybe next year.