THE Bermagui headland on Sunday night was lit by flames as the now traditional fire festival closed Sculpture on the Edge.
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A community picnic proceeded the lighting of various fire sculptures by Chris Polglase, who together with other local artists oversaw the construction of the wooden structures by students from Bermagui Public School.
His own piece named “Flume” was lit by a chain of sparklers with the lengths of green bamboo popping as it went up in flames sending off a shower of sparks.
Tanja artist Yuri Wiedenhofer, assisted by his neighbour Mark Lems, once again outdid himself with his working fire sculpture that was fired with a unique piece of glass-based ceramics inside.
The fire sculpture was lit at 11.30am and burned through the night under their close supervision.
The external structure complete with metal cone and chimney was titled “Nose Cone (for Major Tom)” as it resembled a space craft.
The metal cone fit neatly over the cone-shaped ceramic piece that was fired inside as temperatures reached well over 1000 degrees.
Later on Sunday night, Yuri and Mark temporarily lifted off the external metal cone to reveal the red, glowing ceramic underneath.
They were going to reveal the piece yesterday once the fire had cooled and it is hoped it can be displayed at next year’s Sculpture on the Edge.
Organisers meanwhile were pleased with the entire 10-day event this year.
“The weather was definitely on our side this year,” event manager Jan Ireland said yesterday.
“Everything has gone very well and the sales are looking quite good.”
Sculpture on the Edge included a series of 40 large works leading from Horseshoe Bay Beach to the headland and back, while around 50 small sculptures caught the attention of visitors to the Bermagui Community Hall.
Ms Ireland said Bob Georgeson’s contemporary video montage exhibition at the Fisherman’s Wharf also went really well.
What is Sculpture on the Edge without a bit of controversy, this year provided by Stephen Harrison's “Sea Mine” sculpture on Horseshoe Bay Beach.
Some locals apparently thought it was real and almost called emergency services to report a mine washed up on the beach.
Back on the headland, Hannah Quinlivan scored a Sculpture on the Edge award trifecta with her piece Enfolding.
She was last week named the recipient of the Phillip Cox Acquisitve Prize, meaning Enfolding will soon grace Mr Cox’s local property Thubbul, as well as the Don Moffatt and Cecilia Ng Encouragement Award.
Ms Ireland said she was elated to announce Ms Quinlivan also scored the People’s Choice Award, voted on by visitors to the event over the course of the past 10 days.
