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The creative community of Bilpin will open its doors to the public this month as BigCi (Bilpin international ground for Creative initiatives) hosts its annual Open Day on Sunday 22 March from 11am to 4pm.
Set among the forests on Hanlons Road North, the internationally recognised artist residency will introduce visitors to its current artists-in-residence and the work they have been developing in response to the unique environment of the Wollemi and Blue Mountains region.
Artistic Director Rae Bolotin said the Open Day offers the public a rare chance to see creative research and experimentation as it unfolds.
Visitors will be able to meet artists from Australia, Europe and North America whose work explores the relationship between art, ecology and the landscapes surrounding Bilpin.
Listening to hidden landscapes
Berlin-based sound artist Jana Irmert, recipient of the 2025 BigCi Environmental Award, will present a live sound performance during the event.
Her work uses experimental field recordings to create immersive sonic environments. During her residency she has been recording sounds across the Wollemi and Blue Mountains landscapes, including ultrasound and infrasound frequencies normally beyond human hearing.
By translating these hidden vibrations into audible sound, Irmert invites audiences to experience unfamiliar sonic worlds from aquatic and aerial environments to the deeper geological layers of the landscape.
Art exploring ecology and geology
Also presenting is Yandell Walton, the 2024 BigCi Environmental Award recipient from Naarm/Melbourne.
Walton works at the intersection of emerging technology and ecological inquiry. Using photogrammetry a digital imaging process that captures precise surface detail, she is creating moving-image works that explore the geological textures and ecological systems of the region.
During her residency Walton has also been researching the impacts of mining and longwall extraction on the Gardens of Stone Conservation Area, examining how industrial activity affects fragile ecosystems.
Works developed during both of her residencies will later feature in the exhibition “Entangled Grounds” at the Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, opening 6 June.
Exploring deep time
Munich-based multidisciplinary artist Penelope Richardson, who grew up in Sydney, has been researching one of the region’s most remarkable botanical survivors the Wollemi Pine.
Often described as a “Jurassic tree,” the Wollemi Pine survived unseen for millions of years before being discovered in a remote national park canyon in 1994.
Richardson’s participatory performance during the Open Day will invite visitors to don handmade costumes and explore the tree’s 65-million-year survival story through playful and poetic performance.
Sculpting with caves, trees and sandstone
Other artists presenting include Hudson Valley based interdisciplinary artist Mollie McKinley, whose work draws on natural phenomena found in caves and creeks.
During her residency she has photographed tafoni sandstone formations in Wollemi caves, the ruby-coloured sap of fire-resilient Angophora trees and the plants of the region’s hanging swamps. These images are then transformed into sculptural works that reveal the interdependence of natural systems.
Canadian artist Pippa Lattey has been working with the remains of a fallen Sydney Peppermint tree. After termites transformed its heartwood into a red clay-like material, Lattey began carving and sculpting with the wood and mud, creating a large installation that explores the hidden lives within a single tree.
A day of art and conversation
The Open Day begins at 11am, with introductions from Rae and Yuri Bolotin before a full afternoon of artist talks, performances and informal discussions.
Visitors are invited to bring food to share for a communal lunch from 1.15pm to 2pm.
The event is free and open to the public, though organisers ask that visitors RSVP in advance.
BigCi Open Day
Sunday 22 March, 11am–4pm
82 Hanlons Road North, Bilpin
RSVP: rae@bigci.org
More information: www.bigci.org
BigCi is located about 30 minutes from Windsor, 50 minutes from Katoomba and 1.5 hours from Sydney, making it one of the Hawkesbury’s most distinctive international cultural destinations.
