Australian Silo Art
Australia has a rich and varied history, which is fascinating to explore. However, if you’re not one for losing yourself in books and papers, Australian Silo Art could be an excellent way for you to immerse yourself in the subject.
This interesting series of silo murals form an art trail that spans more than 8,500 kilometres beginning in Western Australia and ending in Queensland. This series of silo painting installations showcases the history and culture of various villages and towns along the trail.
Whether you’re planning a trip to the area or are an art lover, in this article, we’ll delve into the history of the Australian Silo Art Trail and what you can expect to see.
1/ Early Beginnings Of Australian Silo Art
The first silo painting was a mural as part of a pilot project. It was conceived by FORM, a cultural non profit, which had the aim to bring art to Australia’s rural communities. In March 2015, two internationally known street artists, Phlegm and HENSE were commissioned to paint grain silos in Northam, within the Wheatbelt of Western Australia.
Northam, a heritage listed town, sits along the Avon River in North East Perth. The silos at the Northam CHB Group are in a fully operational and busy site, but as the artists painted, work continued as normal, with trucks coming and going. Phlegm from the UK, painted four silos on the left of the massive 16 grain holding complex, while HENSE from the US completed four on the right.
Both artists featured their signature style, with Phlegm depicting his whimsical characters in various fantastical transportation down each of the silos. Since Northam has a history in ballooning, it is likely that he drew inspiration from his Da Vinci style transportation devices from this. HENSE worked simultaneously, working across his four silos as one with his customary abstract patterns in a design that bleeds into the others in fantastic blocks of colour. The painting took more than 16 days and approximately 740 litres of paint were used!
The Northam site was so successful that it inspired a full trail of silo art The WA Silo Trail was developed as a three year project to create an open air, permanent public art gallery linking the coastal and rural times across Western Australia. This concept also set a trend in motion that would spread to other states across countless communities and towns throughout Australia.
2/ Expansion And Evolution Of Silo Art
The success of the WA silo project inspired a similar idea in Victoria. In 2016, in the WImmera Mallee region, a community project by the Brim Active Community Group and GrainCorp, who donated the silos to start the initial inspiration for a new trail.
The Wimmera Mallee Silo trail is a partnership with a variety of organizations including the Victoria Government, Yarriambiack Shire Council, GrainCorp and Juddy Roller, the international street art agency.
This project involved a team of Australian artists and artists from around the world, visiting the region and meeting the locals to then transform each grain silo into a unique work of art. The aim for the work was to tell a story about the host town. This attracted widespread media attention and very quickly, many other regional towns and communities wanted to have their own silos turned into a work of art.
This momentum continued to build, with the trail expanding in 2017 stretching it across five states with another nine silos completed throughout the year. In 2018, another 11 silos were added to the trail and 10 in 2019. Despite the 2020 Covid 19 Pandemic, nine more projects were added to the trail, with five completed in only three months.
Once you start to examine the different silos, it will become apparent that each silo is a unique art piece. The themes and styles differ from site to site, as each one showcases the history, culture, and features of its host town or community.
3/ Community Engagement
One of the reasons why the Australian Silo Art trail is so unique is that there is tremendous community engagement for each site. While the artists may not be local, they visit the community or town, speaking to locals and learning about the culture and history, to incorporate this into the project.
For example, the small community of Devenish has a significant history with the Australian Armed Forces. The silos art was unveiled in 2018 on Anzac Day as a tribute of the 100 year centenary at the end of the World War I. This is particularly significant for Devenish, as fifty young men and women from the community enlisted during the First World War, which accounted for one in six residents of this tiny settlement. The Silo art is a tremendous tribute depicting a WWI nurse and modern military medic on one silo and an Australian Light Horse mounted troop on the other.
While the artists involved in the projects may be from other areas of Australia or even the world, the local communities play a crucial role in the planning and maintenance of the murals. The local community is a part of the design concept development, working with curators and artists, with conversations among residents about the murals to ensure that they showcase the history, culture, and people of the town.
4/ Tourism And Economic Impact
The Australian Silo Art Trail was designed to be a pilot project to bring art to Australia’s rural regions, igniting a movement across states. However, it also brought visitors and tourist dollars to these out of the way communities and towns.
In recent years, many rural communities have struggled, particularly after droughts and other conditions have impacted commerce. Fortunately, art and culture lovers alike tend to flock to the silo art installations, bringing tourist money with them.
Many visitors plan their entire visit to see several silos and this includes spending a little time in the towns or settlements. This highlights attractions within these towns that visitors will enjoy, encouraging them to pay for meals at local eateries, stay in local hotels and support other local businesses.
For example, after Tumby Bay painted its silo in 2018, the occupancy numbers in the local self contained RV part doubled. A cafe opened and the local bakery saw booming business. Likewise in Coonalpyn, South Australia, during the month long mural creation process, the town became South Australia’s most photographed regional town. Approximately 40 vehicles stopped each hour to view the artists at work and take in the sights. This increased visitor traffic injected thousands of dollars into the local economy, encouraging new businesses to open and fuelling job creation.
Residents, communities and towns across Australia are benefitting from the economic impact of silo murals being created in their area. Visitors now have more reasons to stop and spend not only time, but money within their communities.
5/ Cultural And Social Significance Of Silo Art
As we touched on earlier, each of the silo sites are unique and therefore have their own cultural and social significance. The silo murals are intended to celebrate the uniqueness of the distinctive rural communities and towns, celebrating the regional Australian identities in ways that also resonate with the present day communities. Since the murals provide a “face” for the local community, it provides a connection for visitors to appreciate the collective community achievements, culture and history.
Silo painting can also help to establish places on the map and highlights that a community is there. The murals not only have the visual impact of a large art installation, but they contain messages to promote broader discussions and share stories about traditional ways of life.
It is not uncommon for visitors who are attracted to the area by the silo art to spend time in the town or community. They are often keen to chat to the locals or learn more about the historic buildings and sites within the town. This is a fantastic way to encourage the preservation of local heritage.
It can also help to foster community pride. The silo murals are created to reflect something of importance to the community, helping to showcase what is special about the place. This not only celebrates the unique identity of the area, but it allows the locals to embrace the pride in their home.
So, in addition to encouraging visitors and tourist money into the towns, the mural art can revitalize a flagging community that may have endured years of hardship and challenges.
6/ Challenges And Preservation Efforts Of Silo Art
Unfortunately, these stunning pieces of art cannot simply be painted and then left alone. There are some challenges for the silo painting projects, so each community needs to have a maintenance plan in place. The existing silo murals must be protected.
Although these pieces are created by street artists, it doesn’t stop vandals from tagging the murals and causing partial destruction with graffiti. Even minor vandalism can cost thousands of dollars to repair, as it can mar the overall mural. In some cases, graffiti is behind the tanks, where it is less visible, but if it has any impact on the design, it will need to be cleaned and the mural repaired.
Another threat to the silo art is weathering and age. For example, the large silos at Fyansford were originally to store cement before shipping. This meant that they had been out of use for many years. Unfortunately, when evaluated by engineers, they were found to have compromised structural integrity, which made them potentially safe.
For this reason, the Fyansford Silos were demolished, which is a great loss for the community itself and the trail itself. While there are still numerous pictures and photographs of the Fyansford murals, these are now considered a tribute to the silos that are no longer standing.
Fortunately, the communities, specialist organizations, and the artists themselves work to protect the existing art installations. There are efforts undertaken to keep the murals in their original, beautiful state and you may come across fundraisers to help support the cause.
7/ International Recognition For Silo Art
Although the Australian Silo Art Trail has inspired similar projects, including a silo art trail in America, it remains a unique attraction that has garnered international recognition. Many media and tourism campaigns laud the trail as an innovative open-air art exhibition that breaks down the class boundaries typical in the industry.
The trail is considered a great way to explore Australia and immerse yourself in the culture, history, and communities of the various small towns and communities that are typically overlooked.
8/ Future Directions
Although the progress of the silo painting was slowed due to the 2020 Covid 19 Pandemic, there are plans for the trail to continue from strength to strength. There have been many fundraising activities in 2021, 2022, and 2023 via the Silo Art Calendar to raise money for the regional silo art communities. These calendars raise funds and allow the organization to donate money back to the local communities that are featured in the year’s calendar.
There is also the possibility that there will be further silo painting projects planned for the coming months. Residents of local towns and communities with silos can even nominate their site for a silo mural. The local community can establish a silo art committee and there may also be government funding available.
This means that we may see many more silo murals being unveiled in the years to come. Each of these is likely to carry the same aim of showcasing local communities, heritage, and culture. It is not uncommon for artists to return to the project and paint multiple silos, so you may even find that your favorite artists paint new silos in different areas of Australia. This will allow the trail to continue to evolve and form a greater contribution to Australia’s cultural landscape.
9/ Conclusion
Whether you’re interested in art or want to learn more about the culture of different Australian states, the Australian silo art trail is a great attraction. You can plan your trip to take in one or multiple silos, so you can explore the local towns and communities to immerse yourself in the history and culture. You can support the local businesses and take in some fantastic artwork without ever needing to set foot in a gallery. Of course, you can also support silo art initiatives if you feel particularly inspired by these amazing murals.