Lantern Vaults | Special Preview
Plus bkg. fee
Lantern Vaults - Special Preview
A new immersive installation in the basement of the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute as part of the Ballarat Heritage Festival
The work is shaped by historical research and guided by the voice of Florence Batten, the twelve- year-old daughter of William Henry Batten, Secretary of the Institute, and based in the early 1870s.
As visitors move through the vaults, her story unfolds through image, light and sound, offering a glimpse into early Ballarat and the Batten family’s story.
The installation is built from original artworks created by local artist Amanda Western for this project, drawing on historical photographs and records of the family, the Institute and the cultural life of the period.
At its centre is a family closely connected to the Institute, at a time when access to learning was beginning to open out. The Mechanics’ Institute was founded to bring knowledge within reach of ordinary people, and this work reflects that shift, how learning moved beyond a small few and into the wider community.
Experience Schedule
Installation Preview
Tuesday 19 May at 7.30pm: includes champagne on arrival, artist talk and Q&A
Cost $55 plus booking and card fees (includes gst) per person.
Free daily sessions: 21 May – 24 May at:
10:00am – 11:00am – 12:00pm – 1:00pm – 2:00pm – 3:00pm – 4:00pm (aporoximately 25 minute duration).
Make and Create
As part of this experience a workshop space will allow visitors to make a creative response to the installation to take home. This exercise will be suitable for all ages.
Art for sale
Original artworks from Lantern Vaults will be available for sale with 10% of sales going to the BMI. These funds help support the ongoing committment – To providing a unique place to engage with history, and a vibrant hub for community events.
Cost $55 plus booking and card fees.
Tickets can also be purchased at the BMI Library.
Accessibility:
Much of this experience is not wheelchair accessible. The journey to the basements does involve stairs. The tour is not Auslan interpreted, and the guide does not use any amplification system. Groups will enter dimly lit areas of the building under supervision of the guide.
BMI Accessibility information can be found at https://ballaratmi.org.au/accessibility
About the artist
Amanda Western is a visual artist based in Ballarat, whose work explores the relationship between people and the land.
Through printmaking, I reflect on ecological fragility, resilience and the shifting nature of landscape, extending traditional print processes across new materials and forms.
This event takes place on Wadawurrung Country. Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute acknowledges the Wadawurrung People of the Kulin Nation as the first inhabitants and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we work, learn and create. Always Was, Always Will Be, Aboriginal Land.
