By Goya Dmytryshchak
Newport artist Rob Mancini is presenting an exhibition about shorebirds that rely on the fragile coastal and wetland habitats. He speaks with Goya Dmytryshchak.
What’s your connection to Hobsons Bay?
I was born in Spotswood. I grew up here and our children were born in Williamstown. We went rural when they were pretty young and lived in Daylesford for almost 20 years, but having returned it did feel like coming home. I do feel deeply connected to this area.
What do you like about Newport?
Newport still has that community feel, our local shopping strip. It has a village atmosphere so it doesn’t feel that different to what it was like when I was a kid.
What don’t you like?
The urban sprawl, I guess. The areas of conservation value – from my point of view in terms of habitat – are shrinking because of development. The west, particularly, was like the last frontier until about 20 years ago. I understand it has to happen somewhere, however, it needs to be carefully managed to preserve enough to maintain some integrity as healthy habitat.
What’s your favourite local cafe or eatery?
I love places like Doyle and Sons in Spotty. Candied Bakery’s a real local asset. And a place like Two Birds Brewing, just to think you could sit there and have a locally crafted quality beer … I had friends who did their apprenticeships at Goetze’s, which is the old engineering workshops which was there. When I was young I could never have imagined that this would ever happen there.
Can you tell me about your upcoming exhibition, Here & There, at Altona’s Joel Gallery?
I am quite passionate about and have always been interested in birds, but more specifically, water and migratory birds. We were fortunate to have that whole underdeveloped stretch of coastline from Altona right through to Werribee South. What really caught my interest was the migration of some of these birds. These things can do 15,000 kilometres each way to their migrating areas.
I grew up around the Stony Creek and the little backwash before the West Gate Bridge was built. We would catch frogs there and lizards around the railway lines.
More recently, I’ve returned to painting, incorporating industrial landscape and the wildlife that you find there. I’m interested in nature in suburbia, nature in industrial landscapes.
Rob Mancini is presenting an exhibition, Here & There, from September 1-6 at Altona’s Joel Gallery, with a launch on August 31.
