The Sydney Royal
Easter Show has been running since 1823 and is the single largest annual event
in Australia. It runs over 14 days and is attended by approximately 1 million
people every year. The Easter Show combines innovation in agriculture, history,
education and employment. It recognises the finest achievements in agriculture
through 12,500 competitions and promotes general awareness of rural industries,
issues and lifestyles. The District Exhibit
Competition provides an iconic installation that is a highlight of the Easter
Show. These are the largest agricultural displays of their type in the world
and they are huge, 17m long and 6m high and they must be completely covered with
natural produce. They are a fantasy with themes created from grain, wool, fruit
and vegetables. Some 10,000 apples, giant cattle pumpkins weighing over 150kg
and almost every piece of natural produce you can think of comprise the palette
that the designers have to work with. Like any architectural brief, our role in creating this installation is to understand our client's requirements, decide on our approach and how we want to represent our message and then design using the tools available to us. The process is a twelve month process from Easter Show to Easter Show, something we're familiar with as this is our 23rd consecutive display.During the 2011 Royal
Easter Show we began talking with farmers, school children and the founders of
AYOF2012 about what it means to be a farmer, what the perceptions are of
farmers and how AYOF 2012 can promote the role of the farmer. Generally there
was a lack of appreciation for the profession of farming. The aim of this
display is to start to change those perceptions. We wanted to illustrate that
farming is a progressive profession and to demonstrate the importance of
farmers and the dramatic productivity gains that have occurred in the
industry.
The display is a
profusion of fresh, vibrant Australian produce, representative of the achievements
of the industry. We have employed both traditional methods and modern
technology.
Detailed seedwork is
on the deck, the produce is vertical and the movement is achieved through
light. The message of the contribution of 1 FARMER... is so important that the
letters are bold and strong and they literally grow out of the centre of the
bountiful produce. The important message of 1 FARMER... needed to be conveyed
using a method that would catch the viewer and hold them. We have used data
projectors to display an animation that works in concert with the facts and
figures of this progressive industry, providing discussion points and
enlightening the public.