We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the place now called South Australia, and all First Peoples living and working on this land. We celebrate the history and contemporary creativity of the world’s oldest living culture and pay respect to Elders – past, present and future. We acknowledge Kaurna, Peramangk and Ngadjuri peoples on whose lands our events and activities are imagined, planned and held. This always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.
William Gregory and Mawarini explored the history and folklore of 1930s estate Carrick Hill. Their exhibition, Fantasy Estate, included installation art, drawing and augmented reality. It highlighted the curious past of Carrick Hill while imbuing it with a sense of the fanciful.
William combined real and imagined characters to create fanciful new scenes. William also created large 3D installations, inspired by the Christmas Pageant floats. Mawarini was interested in the stories and history of Carrick Hill. She created drawings which retold the story of Carrick Hill’s folklore in a personal way.
The opening celebration was attended by the Governor of South Australia Her Excellency Frances Adamson, Federal member Louise Miller-Frost, and City of Mitcham Mayor Dr Heather Holmes-Ross. There was strong digital engagement with the use of the augmented reality app and the Fantasy Estate online gallery.
Explore the exhibition:
William Gregory and Mawarini at opening event of Fantasy Estate at Carrick Hill. Photo by Emmaline Zanelli Various artworks by Mawarini, 2022. Photo by Emmaline Zanelli William Gregory, The Haywards & Friends Christmas Float, 2022. Photo by Emmaline Zanelli William Gregory, Reverend William Gregory & Friends Christmas Float, 2022. Photo by Emmaline Zanelli Fantasy Estate opening event. Photo by Emmaline Zanelli Fantasy Estate opening event. Photo by Emmaline Zanelli Mawarini, Ursula, 2022. Photo by Emmaline Zanelli
What the artists say:
William
‘I prefer working on my own. More space and peace. I don’t like being disturbed. [Mawarini] made my artwork and the exhibition more interesting. We worked together to make the 3D figures and the float. Nelly’s on the float and so is Rev W. Gregory. It’s like a small float for the pageant.’
Mawarini
‘I’ve known William for a while. I was attracted to [working with] William because of his work and how prolific he is. I want him to build his capacity as an artist, to do more than what he is currently achieving. For example, he draws stor[ies] every day and he piles up all the paper in his room. I thought it would be good to show him to do that story digitally, maybe make an ebook or animate the work. There is a lot of possibility. I want to keep working with him. He’s very focussed. Even when he is at home, I think he just draws and draws and draws. I envy that focus.
The main challenge was coming up with a good solid idea. The themes and character ideas were too broad, so there was a process of digging down and understanding what William liked about Carrick Hill. I asked a lot of questions and then realised for example, that he really loved Edward Hayward like he was almost a god. So we looked more into Edward Hayward’s life and achievements and the Christmas Pageant. William loved the floats. I asked, why don’t you make a small float? I asked a lot of questions and made suggestions and we explored ideas.
Sometimes he would ask, “What shall I draw?”‘” I’d say, “No, you can’t ask me that. Let’s discuss it.” That was our process.’
Artwork
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