The large-scale art work, Regrowth, was launched in Koroit on Saturday morning and features a unique image of Tower Hill. It was created by Melbourne artist James Voller  Voller in consultation with community members. 

The installation, is on the Port Fairy to Warrnambool Rail Trail. The image is printed onto toughened glass, which has ceramic in the middle, and can viewed from both sides. Its colours change slightly depending on the light that falls on it.

The photographic installation, located near the Koroit Railway Station examines the town’s history and landscape, taking imagery from Tower Hill cliffs.

It was developed by a Leadership Great South Coast team of Jacinta Lenehan, Leon Senchenko, Brendan Hawkins and Shane Stenhouse.

Mrs Lenehan, who is the SculptED17 Project lead, said the group had a vision “to celebrate the unique, cultural, historical and environmental aspects of Koroit”.

She said the work acted as a marker, acknowledging the Koroitch Gundidj people from the Peek Woorroong Tribe within the Marr Nation as traditional owners of the land, highlighting their ever-present connection with Tower Hill and Koroit. 

She said it was the culmination of 15 months of work and it told the story of the impact of colonisation on indigenous land, showcasing “all the beautiful rock formations of Tower Hill”. 

“It’s a pretty unique piece,” Mrs Lenehan said. “Digi-glass is only starting to be used in public art. It’s used a lot in memorials but James is starting to use it in public art which is pretty awesome. It changes depending on what the sky is doing. Sometimes it looks quite pink and other times it’s a more purpley colour. It’s incredible.”  

Voller said he spent a week photographing areas around Koroit in April and community drop-in sessions were held to determine which areas resonated with residents. “I’ve been doing photographic installations for five or six years and this is the first material I’ve found you can make permanent works with. The technology's been around but it’s pretty new in fine art,” he said. “There’s a few people in Australia doing it but it’s still pretty new.”

He said its rural location proved to be an advantage. “A lot of the other works we’ve done are in built-up urban areas, so you don’t get the light from as many angles because it gets cut out by other buildings,” he said. “But here it’s got a lot of space as it stands by itself.”

Funding for the project was sourced from Regional Development Victoria, the Isobel and David Jones Family Foundation, the Hugh Williamson Foundation, South West Community Foundation, the AL Lane Foundation and Moyne Shire Council.

Port Fairy to Warrnambool Rail Trail committee member Michael Halls said it was great to link Tower Hill and the rail trail together, while also featuring art in the recreation space. 

“Not everyone knows the rail trail is here or Koroit is here. We see this and Tower Hill as major resources for recreation, even though it’s world-class volcanic area, we tend to underrate the area.” 

South West Community Foundation, which helped to fund the project, chair Barrie Baker attended the launch and admired Regrowth. “It’s good,” he said. “It’s quite different.”