Arts & Culture
Andrew Blake and his artwork, The Hide
Artists Dianne and Andrew Blake spent almost 20 years living in Arnhem Land as arts coordinators, surrounded by the land and people of the world’s oldest continuous culture. Both of these creative souls have developed a reverence for King Island – its rawness and beauty – similar in ways to what they love in Arnhem Land on the other side of the continent. When a particular parcel of land went up for sale on King Island, Andrew knew it was the one, and he wanted to buy on the spot, site unseen. A more pragmatic approach prevailed; Dianne and their son Will flew down to check it out. “With its strong sense of community and a landscape that is so evocative, it felt right,” Dianne says. “I wept tears of joy when we first set foot on the property,” says Andrew, who is a highly accomplished sculptor. “I still feel that sense of joy when we are here and an immense sense of privilege to be able to live in such a remarkable place.” The couple spent summer holidays camping on their property in order to understand its shape, the environment and often tumultuous weather. Then, working with local builder AM Milsom and Beach House Architects, they designed and built their inspirational home, which due to its unusual shape is called The Whale Tail House. Their move and their building journey was in fact a popular episode of Lifestyle Channel's Grand Designs Australia. With their home complete, Dianne and Andrew split their time between King Island and Arnhem Land, and have recently taken on the role of arts and cultural development consultants on the island. “We are fortunate to be able to work within the arts on King Island,” says Andrew. “What we would like to do is promote the island as a venue to visit, not just in terms of tourism, but in the sense of attracting curators and events people, so they can see what raw and natural venues the island can provide."
KING ISLAND 9