I like looking into people's eyes; usually with a camera on my hands. I love what I find.
The Lost Ark is a project that brings to the limelight our unique Australian fauna and flora in the aftermath of the bush fires.
One year on, we are looking at the possible ways in which we, as artists can raise awareness of all the conservation work that needs to be done.
“Small Things” is a piece bringing up the importance of small things that make up for a bigger picture.
Original score by Harvey Welsh Images by Akka Ballenger Constantin © 2021 Ballenger/Welsh
“Dawn” is the next piece in our series – a beautiful morning out in the grasslands.
The Lost Ark is a project that brings to the limelight our unique Australian fauna and flora in the aftermath of the bush fires.
One year on, the grasslands are coming back to life and we are looking at the possible ways in which we, as artists can raise awareness of all the conservation work that needs to be done.
Original score by Harvey Welsh Images by Akka Ballenger Constantin © 2021 Ballenger/Welsh
The Final Cut for “The Lost Ark – Nocturne” is finally here.
The Nocturne was in the making for a long while and we kept tweaking it, but I think we are finally done with this piece. I am totally in love with the music – it works so well with the images.
If you joined us later, The Lost Ark is a project that brings to the limelight our unique Australian fauna and flora in the aftermath of the bush fires.
One year on, “Nocturne” is a glimpse at the way the grasslands are coming back to life. We are looking at the possible ways in which we, as artists can raise awareness of all the conservation work that needs to be done.
Original score by Harvey Welsh Images by Akka Ballenger Constantin © 2021 Ballenger/Welsh
One year on, the grasslands are back to life. 2020 has been very trying on the native fauna and flora: we’ve seen the effect of extreme draught, after the fire, smoke and hail…It’s a wonderful sight, seeing everything coming back to life.
Image: Akka Ballenger Constantin
Original Score by Harvey Welsh
“The Lost Ark” is an opportunity of learning together. This series of drawings, linocuts and etchings brings back the focus on the aftermath of the 2019-2020 bush fires and their impact on our unique Australian fauna.
An interim report, “Australia’s 2019-2020 Bushfires: The Wildlife Toll” commissioned by WWF Australia concluded that more than three billion animals were killed or displaced: 143 million mammals, 2.46 billion reptiles, 180 million birds and 51 million frogs.
I am an art educator, working with young children. Often, I find myself embracing their spontaneity in my own artistic practice and for this body of works I chose the same informal approach, where feeling and playfulness prevail, taking over realistic/ natural illustration detail.
Through these images, I hope to bring to limelight some of our unique species and I would like to encourage the public not only to learn more about our wildlife, but also to donate their time and to support financially the Wildlife rescue program.
* 10% of the works on sale will go to two local charities, ACT Wildlife and Wild Talk.
Please consider donating to these two charities. Thank you
Click here for a donation to ACT Wildlife:
Click here for a donation to Wild Talk
“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!” – it’s a phrase I wish I could say and savour this year.
I love all things Christmas but I do happen to have a couple of favourites. Perhaps what I enjoy most is giving. I love giving unconditionally. I love seeing that little sparkle, when the others unwrap their presents and find the things they secretly wished for. I also love placing random gifts under the wishing trees and imagine the joy of someone I have never and will never meet.
Over the last decade or so, I found it hard to adjust to this entire Summer Christmas business and I have been secretly longing for the White Christmases of my childhood; where the trees were really glistening and the sleighs, bells and snow were real. While I love with all my heart the uniqueness of the Australian landscape and the peace of my grasslands, I do long for the snow too.
This year, however, I find myself wishing away the white. The skies have been ashen and the horizons have turned orange for what it now feels like an eternity and a half. We’re only a couple of weeks into the summer and the temperatures are already breaking the records. The air is impossible to breathe and the grounds are scorching. With all these fires raging out of control, so much has been lost. People’s lives, existences, farms, houses, crops and ecosystems are gone. It doesn’t feel like Christmas at all. The most demoralising thing is the lack of leadership we are seeing at a time when we should all unite forces. We have lived through a couple of long drought seasons, followed now by unimaginable destruction caused by the fires. The outlook is grim and untenable. Some of these fires might be out of control for a longtime; and when the current leaders do not believe in climate change, do not want to fund the firefighters properly and do not take charge in crisis situation, the thing we need most right now is rain. I wish you all a very blue Christmas, where the heavens will open, the skies will pour down and the dams will be full to the brim once more. Stay safe wherever you are and don’t forget to hug your loved ones.
After a very long and unplanned break, it’s time for the Hat stories to make a comeback.
Here is a short recap of the existing collection of Canberrans who shared their innermost dreams with me. If you’d like to know more, please head over to the “A Hat of Many Dreams” blog and read the old and the new stories, as more will get posted.
Interview published by Jalmurra Magazine on February 2019.
Akka Ballenger Constantin 