Floating Land is once again pushing artistic boundaries with its ten-day festival of exhibitions, workshops and events held 27 May to 5 June on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland this year. With this year’s theme being ‘Water Culture’, the festival will explore the consequences of climate change to the people of the Asia Pacific based on their close relationship with oceans, rivers and waterways. 

Conceived in 2001 as an outdoor sculpture exhibition, Floating Land made a name for itself as one of Australia’s leading Green Art events. Re-engaging the community with nature sparked the imagination of writers, performance artists, musicians, photographers, academics and scientists and in 2011 Floating Land is celebrating its sixth year.

This year’s lead curator for Floating Land, Leah Barclay enthuses, “Artists will explore the theme of water culture and its role in cultural and ritual practices of coastal and island communities. First Nation artists will join local and national artists to create and deliver messages that explore ‘Green Art’.”

The venue this year is Boreen Point, Lake Cootharaba in the UNESCO listed biosphere of Noosa, with two satellite locations at Coolum and Bli Bli on the Sunshine Coast serving to involve a greater audience and drawing attention to other environments and cultures.

 “The expansion of the festival to other venues provides a diverse and dynamic program. It has meant that the festival has been able to attract internationally acclaimed lead artists such as Dr Ros Bandt,” explains Cultural Heritage and Collections Manager, John Waldron. Bandt’s work will involve performers interpreting electro-acoustic work composed for cello, clarinets, sculptures and digital colour field imagery. The glass and earth sculptures that will be floating in the water and sitting on the sand will act as timers to reflect the balance between water and earth and the role we are playing in its care and destruction.

As artwork sites are located in the bush and water and on the foreshores, artists will be challenged to create work that uses transient materials that leave no mark on their environment. The Boreen Point component will take ephemeral art to a new level this year, adding a layer of works exploring projection, light and sound in the natural environment.

Visitors to Floating Land are encouraged to attend the performances, connect with the artists, participate in the workshops and attend the exhibits over the ten-day event. The closing event Firings by the Lake has become a significant feature at sunset on stunning Lake Cootharaba. Full details can be found by visiting www.floatingland.com.au