Live Art + Visual Art

A Whale Tale - Plastic Seascapes

  • At Festival Hub
  • FREE with Park Access (please see note)
  • Prince's Square
    Elizabeth St
    Launceston TAS 7250

A Whale Tale, Plastic Seascapes

Immerse yourself into a plastic wrapped paradise, by the year 2050 there with be more plastic in the ocean than fish!

In collaboration with students from St Helens district High School and Bicheno Primary School, visual artists Melanie Hoult, Natasha Lowe, film maker Simon Holmes and sound artist Lila Meleisea have come together to shine a spotlight on the environmental issue of plastic waste and marine debris, a global problem that’s often swept under the rug (or should we say waves!) Using waste collected from our coastlines artists and students have reimagined an oceanic world where sea creatures have plastic features.

Age Suitability 

Suitable for all ages 

Accessibility 
  • Step-Free Mobility-Aid Access
Park Access

Park Access is FREE before 6pm each day and FREE all day Sunday. Park Access is FREE with any Junction Ticket for that day. 

Plastic Seascapes Melanie Fidler
About The Artists
Melanie Hoult

Melanie Hoult is a multidisciplined visual artist based on the East Coast of Tasmania, whose love for the island state drives her creative process. With a personalised and illustrative style, Melanie creates fictional characters, flora and environments loosely based on Tasmanian folklore, ideas Gondwana and tales of nature and the unknown. Since completing her Bachelor of Contemporary Art (Honors) at The University of Tasmania in 2016, Melanie has been involved in various exhibitions, community youth projects, collaborations, art festivals and developmental workshops, including Ten Days on the Island, Stompin' Youth Dance Company,  Junction Arts Festival, Expressive Arts Tasmania and Y-Connect Youth Network, whilst also conducting workshops and art classes for various youth organisations and holding solo exhibitions of her illustrative and painted works.

Natasha Lowe

Natasha Lowe, a Tasmanian artist, has refined her installation skills by collaborating with children and young people. After studying black and white film photography at UTAS and earning a Diploma in Education in Lismore, NSW, she has worked as a District School Art Teacher since 2001, mastering various visual art mediums for students from Kindergarten to Year Twelve.

In 2007, Natasha and her partner, Simon Holmes, founded "Big Shed Studios," combining community creative commissions with a venue for artistic projects. Based in St Helens, Natasha transitioned from teaching to community-based artworks and installations, focusing on conceptualising ideas and creating frameworks for community involvement.

Environmental consciousness is central to Natasha's work, as she uses natural and upcycled materials in her workshops and highlights environmental issues in her themes. She finds inspiration in the creativity of children and young people, who often exceed her original artistic visions.

Simon Holmes 

Simon is a visual storyteller, whose work revolves around the creation of video and still images that capture the essence of human experience and endeavor. Partnering with both organizations and individuals, he strives to communicate their unique stories in a way that is both compelling and authentic.

Lila Meleisea

Lila Meleisea is an interdisciplinary artist. Her work has seen her create immersive works for gallery spaces, and perform on saxophone, kora, Greenwood musical leather sculptures and percussion in diverse and broad global stages and environments. Her audience and collaborators span all ages and abilities. Meleisea's current work responds to climate justice and global mental health/wellbeing issues, beginning with her two island communities of Tasmania and Samoa. Indigenous way of knowing, earth resonance, the collective consciousness and action inform and inspire Meleisea’s practice