City of Light celebrates 130 years with local art exhibition

It’s been 130 years since Tamworth became the first Australian town to install municipal electric street lighting and to celebrate the anniversary, Tamworth Regional Gallery is paying homage to the community’s rich history of illuminating the night with a special exhibition.

The City of Light exhibition will showcase the work of some of the regions most talented artists who have been selected to explore how light is used in the creation of art.

Ms Bridget Guthrie, Director of the Tamworth Regional Gallery says there is a diverse range of artwork on display. “We invited 15 artists to be part of the exhibition and we’ve been really impressed with their interpretations of the City of Light theme. “The exhibition will shine a light on our rich history and some of the incredible talent from around our region,” she said.

Josh Chaffey’s artwork ‘Constellation: Walsh’s Web’ will be a permanent installation at the gallery.

“My artwork comprises 41 columns of light which represent 41 significant towns and localities supplied with electricity by Tamworth at the height of its electrical independence. The placement of the tubes to the north, south, east and west loosely reflects the position of the settlements they represent.

“Walsh’s Web honors Raymond Austin Walsh who, as chairman of Peel Valley City Council during the period the work depicts, played a significant role in the development of the electrical network,” said Mr Chaffey.

On 9 November 1888 Tamworth residents gathered at the power plant house (now the Tamworth Powerstation Museum) to witness the power being turned on with a golden key. It was another 15 years until Sydney received electric lighting.

To this day, Tamworth is still recognised by many for its pioneering role in bringing electric light to Australia.

The exhibition is open to the general-public from until Sunday 25th November 2018.

The City of Light exhibition is an initiative of the Tamworth Regional Gallery with support from TransGrid.

Participating artists:

Angus Nivison David Darcy Debra Dawes Gemma King Hanna Kay James Rogers Jelle can den Berg Josh Chaffey Julia Griffin Katherine Harvey Michelle Hungerford Myfanwy Gullifer Ross Laurie Stephen King Sybil Orr