Sarah St Vincent Welch

About the work

In #litchalk Sarah St Vincent Welch chalks poems on paths and chats to passers-by. The poems respond to locations in the National Arboretum Canberra, to its history, and the history of the country on which it grows, and to its trees and forests. Views from lookouts, the themed gardens, the forests, provide poignant and layered inspiration, as does the existing and temporary art in the landscape. #litchalk poems are tweeted, posted on Instagram, and filmed as they are chalked in time lapse, and then shared online. #litchalk may be quickly washed away by rain or fade away more slowly; we don’t know. The poems and the poet are fleeting interventions in the landscape, to be come across and wondered upon. St Vincent Welch sees #litchalk poems as a fragmentary commentary on bigger histories and events, as ephemera, reminders, and small mysteries.

 

Performances | 15th, 16th Oct 10.00 am – 3.00pm at the National Arboretum

Poetry workshop | 22th Oct midday – 2:00pm,  Free entry – Bookings essential here.

FYI the #litchalk in progress was photographed on Dairy Farmers Hill beneath the sculpture Nest III. Photographer – Dylan Jones.

Other photos by Heeseon Jung

About the artist

Sarah St Vincent Welch is a Canberra based writer and image maker who is known for chalking her poetry on footpaths at arts festivals. Her poetry can be read in ‘chalk borders’ (Flying Islands Books) and ‘Open’ (Rochford Press) and in anthologies and magazines.  She has also published short stories. She is the founder of Kindred Trees, a project that asks Canberra poets to respond to a local tree, and which aims to encourage a love of trees through poetry (kindredtrees.com.au). St Vincent Welch has worked in film preservation, (specialising in early film), and has taught creative writing in the community. Her husband, Dylan Jones, is a digital creator, and he supports #litchalk with photography and filming.