By Gretel Sneath
For more than two decades, the small Coorong town of Coonalpyn has been home to a little-known rural art gallery hidden beneath the Dukes Highway.
The Tunnel Vision mural is located within a 75 metre long pedestrian underpass, and features a series of panels designed to reflect the history, diversity, and beauty of the people and land of the Ninety-Mile Desert.
The art installation was a labour of love created by locals for locals, but 20 years on, one of the community’s best-kept secrets is now being unearthed thanks to a large-scale project to repair old panels and create new ones.
Coorong District Council Mayor, Neville Jaensch, says Tunnel Re-Vision has evolved into a multi-generational project, with the children of parents who painted some of the original artworks among those breathing new life into the attraction.
The art installation was a labour of love created by locals for locals, but 20 years on, one of the community’s best-kept secrets is being unearthed
“The beauty of this project is that it’s all about local people and rural families,” he explains.
“We have had different people from the same family work on the original artwork 20 years ago, and the new artwork installed this year.”
The underpass overhaul is one of a series of arts-led rural renewal projects currently being undertaken in a bid to put the region on the map and enhance a sense of civic pride.
A collection of 20 nylon applique panels exhibited in local shop windows and an environmental installation representing local farmers is also attracting a lot of attention, while a high-impact ‘Eyes on The Road’ visual artwork along the highway route and a mosaic-covered toilet block are also in the pipeline.
The most highly anticipated project will also be the flagship attraction by virtue of its scale alone, with the Council engaging world-renowned artist Guido van Helten of Brim Silo fame to create a sky-high mural covering the front five cells of the Coonalpyn Silos.
“Each day, thousands of vehicles pass through Coonalpyn along the Dukes Highway, and our 30-metre high silo mural alone will literally stop these travellers in their tracks,” Mayor Jaensch says.
Guido will work with the community to develop the design, which is being funded by the Council with the support of the Regional Arts Fund, Country Arts SA and business and philanthropic donations.
“Guido is a portrait artist, so the design will definitely feature people, and there is a lot of interest around who is going to be on the silos,” says Nat Traeger, Coorong District Council’s Community and Corporate director.
The flagship project will be completed in February next year, and you can follow progress at @creating_coonalpyn on Instagram.
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