A Sea Of Custodians
By Andrew Wilson
Many years ago I accidentally found myself singing in a choir in front of 50,000 people in Dunedin, Scotland.
We were participating in a concert to celebrate switching on the city’s Christmas lights. Performing in front of that many people as part of a collective group was both terrifying and exhilarating. But I’ll never forget the feeling of our perseverance and dedication being rewarded by the sight and sound of thousands of smiling faces singing along with us. It was just fortunate for all involved that I didn’t have to perform a solo.
The year was 1999, I was 25, had been living in Edinburgh for a few months, and to be honest, I can hold a tune but I’m not much of a singer. Mostly I was feeling a bit lonely, was pretty much penniless, and looking for something fun to do that was free. So as fate would have it, one foggy evening I heard the a cappella rhythm and pulse of a choir reverberating around the ancient stone walls of Edinburgh Castle. A decision to open a large wooden door, some puzzled looks, and a few rehearsals later I found myself walking up onto a brightly lit stage with a group of people I barely knew, staring at a sea of festive faces getting ready to belt out a medley of Christmas Carols.
So obviously you’re now rightly wondering what on the seven seas Dunedin, Christmas Carols and average singing (on my part, the other guys were brilliant) have to do with Wooden Boats.
Well, next year will see the return of the Australian Wooden Boat Festival to Hobart. Which to my mind is a gathering of a different type of choir, one whose carols are about the sea instead of Santa Claus. For four days in February, owners and vessels gather en mass as a giant ensemble to entertain an audience in the hundreds of thousands - and while more talking than singing occurs, you can guarantee everyone will be smiling.
These days my instrument is my camera rather than my vocal cords, my most well-known tune being Old Sea Dogs of Tasmania.
As part of the 2023 Australian Wooden Boat Festival, I’m exhibiting a new work called The Custodians at the Henry Jones/IXL Art Hotel.
As part of this new work, I have set myself the task to capture portraits of as many wooden boat Custodians as possible between now and the 2023 Festival.
Whether you are a Custodian of wooden boat culture, craft, community, place, or objects - the boats themselves - this is a call for men and women of the sea, both young and old to participate.
All that is required is for you to put on your favourite salt-encrusted hat, jumper, or jacket, practice your best Sea Dog stare, and spend 5 minutes with me and my camera at one of the many locations I'll be visiting from June this year.
Book your portrait session here
These portraits will then become an evolving display at the Festival titled A Sea of Custodians, with each participant also invited to find their image amongst the sea of faces and handwrite on their printed portrait what wooden boat custodianship personally means to them.
Interested? What type of wooden boat Custodian are you?
Are you a Custodian of Craft - spending days surrounded by tools that fashion Celery, King Billy and Huon pine into the stunning objects that draw us together?
Are you a Custodian of Community, your time dedicated to bringing people together to share experiences, stories and knowledge?
Do you resonate as a Custodian of a Place on our island steeped in wooden boat culture or significance?
Or are you one of the fortunate few that experience the joy and responsibility of being the Custodian of a wooden boat - those crafted Objects we all love and admire.
Whichever you are, I would love you to participate by booking one of the session times available via the link below:
https://andrewwilsonphotography.com.au/the-custodians/
As mentioned I’ll be starting off in June, initial dates and locations for portrait sessions are listed below:
June 7
South Hobart | 10 am - 12 pm & 1 pm - 2 pm | Denison Street
June 12
Franklin | 10 am - 12 pm | Living Boat Trust Shed
Port Cygnet | 2 pm - 4 pm | Port Cygnet Yacht Club
June 14
South Hobart | 10 am - 12 pm | Denison Street
*If you have missed out on booking a session, please sign up for my mailing list here. I'll be sending out regular updates of new portrait session locations, dates and times as they are organised.
Exhibition Details
When: During AWBF 2023 and throughout February.
Where: IXL/Henry Jones Art Hotel