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Sir Ian McKellen dubs Lake Ballard a ‘must see’

3rd June 2010 Print
Sir Ian McKellen

Internationally renowned actor, Sir Ian McKellen has declared the Antony Gormley statues at Lake Ballard in Western Australia as a ‘must see’.

Sir Ian, who is currently in Perth, Western Australia to star in a production of Waiting for Godot, visited the statues this weekend. Gormley’s ‘Inside Australia’ consists of 51 striking steel sculptures displayed across 10 square kilometres of salt flats, making it one of the largest outdoor galleries on earth.

Gormley was commissioned to create ‘something different’ for the 50th anniversary of the Perth International Arts Festival in 2002. He chose the salt expanse of Lake Ballard in Western Australia’s Goldfields as his canvas and the people of nearby Menzies as his inspiration. The steel statues, based on body scans of the locals, provide a beautiful yet eerie depiction of a community frozen in time. The work is stunning in its effect. Huge in scale, it remains intensely intimate; standing still and silent, the ‘Insiders’ appear and disappear across the stark white arena of the salt lake, shimmering in the heat like a mirage.

The project proved so successful that the statues were not dismantled when the festival ended and they now exist on Lake Ballard as an extraordinary art experience and tourist attraction.

Gold Rush Tours runs half day tours from Kalgoorlie to see the sculptures, which also takes in a stop at Menzies, as well as ghost towns and historic gold rush sites along the way, $75 - goldrushtours.com.au.

Alternatively you can drive there in less than two hours from Kalgoorlie, which is connected to Perth by daily flights and the Indian Pacific. The Golden Quest Discovery Trail offers suggested self-drive routes, other sights to see along the way, maps and commentary - goldenquesttrail.com. The best times to see the work is in the early morning or late afternoon. Allow at least two hours to walk around the entire installation.

Sir Ian McKellen visited Kalgoorlie and Lake Ballard with West End regulars Matthew Kelly, Roger Rees and Brendan O’Hea, who are also starring in Beckett’s Waiting for Godot during its Australia tour.

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Sir Ian McKellen