At my place I have a front fence that is 80 metres long, with strands of wire and star droppers, as well as a heavy iron gate, so heavy it has sunk into the dirt, and stays open always, because moving it would require much, much digging dirt.
Doen’t sound like a tourist site, does it? No it sure doesn’t, but there is much more to it than that. because those wire strands and the area just the inside of that fence have a huge variety of ‘other bits and pieces’.
That 80 metre fence and the gate have massive collection of assorted ‘found objects, almost items made of iron, and most of them rusty old and unwanted bits and pieces. How many things? Over 900 of them, ranging in size from paper clip size (or even smaller) to an exercise bike size or bigger.
These items were found by me, or given to me by people who have given me items after I’ve told them about what I’ve been doing over the past few years. I have a tiny small wheelbarrow, a tiny, tiny pair of frogs, and the Mayor of my council has given me on the day he officially opened this project a rabbit trap!
My husband and I have a Greyhound, Lenny, who we walk nearly every day, and as I walk, I keep an eye out for rusty things. And I drive my car twenty plus kilometres every Thursday (for my writing group meetings) as well as other drives to go to this that and the other events, or shopping trips, etc) and as I drive I watch the road I’m driving on, as well as the sides of the road.
I live n a rural area, and sometimes livestock might be on or near the road, so it’s wise to keep an eye out for the wayward creatures, always. And at the some time, if I notice something rusty, or metallic on the road, or next to it, I’ll stop and check it out!
I have found a fascinating range of interesting objects like this. There’s one big matal something that looks like it may be a something or other from the tail of a plane! I don’t know how that thing (over a metre and a half in length, ended up on a major connecting road, with much traffic) got there, and I’d love to know it’s story, but for now, I’m just happy to have it on display, along with everything else.
This thing I’m doing has a name thought of by me, and it is this, I’ve named it the Redbanks Rust and Found Art Installation. That sounds more like a possible Tourist site, doesn’t it? Yes, I sure think so!
So I’ve been doing this for a while now, and I’d really love to be able to tell others about what I’m doing in a way that brings them to my place to see it, when I can talk to them, so they can understand it all better, or perhaps get the truth about what some of these odd objects actually are
And today I have a friend visit me after we’d arranged to have her and other of her friends visit to see what I have there. These ladies are members of a four wheel drive club, and often go for drives, visiting places of interest, and I was happy to host their visit to my place of interest!
Talking about what I’ve been doing and why, is fun with public speaking being something I’m keen to do a lot more of, so the visit ticked a few boxes for me, for sure. And while I wasn’t paid as a presenter or anything like that, I did suggest a good site to go to for a meal and went with them to the local cafe, and one of them paid for my coffee!
It isn’t big thing yet, it in fact is tiny, but as they say, from little things, big things grow! I was able to show these ladies the book I edited, that contains creative writing that was written about this fence, following a visit by writers my place to see this fence/Art Installation.
