By Biennale of Sydney
23rd Biennale of Sydney: rīvus
Imbás: a well at the bottom of the sea (2022) by Clare MilledgeBiennale of Sydney
About the participant
Clare Milledge
Born 1977 in Warrang/Sydney, Australia
Lives on Bundjalung Country (Broken Head) on the lands of the Arakwal people, and the Eora Nation (Avalon Beach) on the lands of the Garigal people.
Clare Milledge’s work re-examines contemporary environments with a focus on our engagement with ecology through art, in particular through the use of the historical figure of the artist-shaman.
Working with fieldwork as her primary methodology she collects, re-organises, transforms and re-presents recordings, information and material gathered on ecological surveys and site visits.
Clare Milledge Interview (2022) by Motel Picture CompanyBiennale of Sydney
Imbás: a well at the bottom of the sea (2022)Biennale of Sydney
The installation, Imbás: a well at the bottom of the sea, draws on the Story of Sinann, an Old Irish story/dindshenchas about the forming of the river Sinnan/Shannon. In the story, the woman Sinnan, a highly accomplished poet seeks imbás/inspiration.
Imbás: a well at the bottom of the sea (2022)Biennale of Sydney
She journeys to a well at the bottom of the sea, surrounded by nine musical, magical hazel trees; there she draws imbás from the well in the form of bubbles released by the resident wise salmon, who chew on the hazelnuts fallen from the trees.
Imbás: a well at the bottom of the sea (2022)Biennale of Sydney
This imbás/inspiration is then released for the benefit of the community and forms the river Sinnan.
The connection between rivers, inspiration, poetry, truth-telling and ecology is explored in this work.
Imbás: a well at the bottom of the sea (2022) by Clare MilledgeBiennale of Sydney
Suspended glass paintings evoke the story of Sinann.
Imbás: a well at the bottom of the sea (2022) by Clare MilledgeBiennale of Sydney
Nine cauldrons stand in for the nine hazel trees at the well.
Imbás: a well at the bottom of the sea (2022) by Clare MilledgeBiennale of Sydney
And research notes and poems appear as text on silk fragments.
Imbás: a well at the bottom of the sea (2022)Biennale of Sydney
Music and voices of poets and ecologists are combined in a complex sound work triggered by the depth of the water under the floorboards of Pier 2/3.
Liquid Languages – Clare Milledge | Words (2022) by Ankit MishraBiennale of Sydney
Visit Clare Milledge's studio and hear about her process and practice.
Tap to explore
Navigate into Clare Milledge's Imbás: a well at the bottom of the sea, 2022, at Pier 2/3 on Sydney's Walsh Bay.
