Geofacts 1-4 (YKB)

This unique sculpture was born out of the creative ideas and influence of the Karoonda Youth Action Committee along with talented sculptor artist Tom Borgas.

About the Karoonda Youth Action Committee…

The Youth Action Committee (YAC) was established in May 2020. Providing an opportunity for a group of young people from the district aged between 12 – 25 years to meet regularly to discuss youth issues, help organise youth & community events and take part in leadership forums and self-development activities. Designed to develop the leadership and life skills of its members.

About the artist…

Tom Borgas is an artist based in Adelaide, with his work foundationally sculptural but extends to include performative and participatory elements as a means of engaging an audience.

His work has been exhibited at shows and galleries around Australia including the Contemporary Arts Centre of South Australia, The Jam Factory, Salamanca Arts Centre in Hobart, FELTspace ARI, Hatched 2013 and PICA Salon 2014. He the recipient of a number of awards, prizes including an the NAVA Ignition Prize for professional practice, the Hill Smith Gallery/Helpmann Academy Friends Travel Prize and the 2015 Lismore Regional Gallery Splendour in the Grass New Art Commission. His practice is also supported through contributions from the Australia Council for the Arts, Arts SA and the Helpmann Academy

How the sculpture came to life…

With the help of the District Council of Karoonda East Murray, the Youth Action Committee were provided the opportunity to work on a collaborative project that aligned with Council’s Economic Development and Tourism Strategy to increase visitors to the region by incorporating art and culture into public spaces.

A call out by the YAC was made to sculpture artists from far and wide to express their interest in the project to create and deliver a new public art piece to Karoonda.

Through much deliberation and a thorough selection process the YAC decided Tom Borgas would be the artist to create the next sculpture piece for Karoonda - loving his “unique colours” and stating it’s “something different for Karoonda, that we haven’t seen before”.

Tom did extensive research on Karoonda and the surrounding environment to get a better understanding of the place and spark inspiration for the sculpture. Also meeting with the YAC to get their opinions and ideas, which they presented through a mood board of imagery and colour.

With a lot of Tom’s work incorporating bright colours and bold graphics and with a keen interest in digital things, he mixed this part of his art practise with the conversations he had with the YAC during the design process. Whilst also pulling inspiration from Karoonda’s famed meteorite, that fell from the sky in 1930, and the geological aspects of the region.

Click play on the videos below to watch behind the scenes footage of the sculpture being made in Karoonda, as well as Tom speaking about the installation, including the significance of the blue colour, where he got his inspiration from and how he hopes people will interact with the sculpture.