BALLARAT residents have taken to the Black Hill art installation like ducks to water in recent weeks, helping the work of artist Brendan Cooper to continue growing and changing.
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Mr Cooper, from Wendouree, has spent much of the past two months working on his ever-updating installation which has appeared in a disused brick works site in Black Hill Reserve.
Mr Cooper has used all natural materials with the work a popular addition to the Black Hill Reserve with bushwalkers, children and families all adding their own artistic flair to the installation.
"None of the rock that I've used has been dug up, it was just sitting on the ground here, littered so I decided to turn it into rock walls," Mr Cooper told The Courier last month.
"I discovered a former homeless shelter here, that's what created the tee-pee which was just lying near the water. My idea was to use everything in here to create what I could.
"This is a reserve, but it's not a natural reserve and it's very well known bike riding and walking area, so disturbance of rocks is not a high impact at all as you might see on a natural reserve. I would not go and do this kind of work in that setting."
While the art installation has not been officially sanctioned by the City of Ballarat, it has proven a popular distraction for a lot of residents who have enjoyed getting out into Ballarat's open spaces during the COVID-19 period.
The artist said he hoped the piece was uplifting for those who saw it and he encouraged people to continuing adding to it.
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