Photographing Albacutya Silo Art

About the Artwork

Albacutya Silo Art is located approximately 9-10 km north of Rainbow in the Wimmera Mallee region of north-western Victoria.

The enormous mural was painted by Melbourne artist Kitt Bennett and completed in May 2021.

Albacutya was the first silo in Hindmarsh Shire to become part of the Silo Art Trail and helped establish an important link between silo-art locations throughout the Wimmera and Mallee.

Unlike many Australian silo murals that portray specific local people, wildlife or historical events, the Albacutya artwork is deliberately surreal, playful and highly colourful.

Bennett drew inspiration from memories of growing up in the country, exploring the bush with family and searching beneath rocks in creeks for yabbies.

Rather than attempting to reproduce those memories literally, the artist deliberately distorted and exaggerated them.

This reflects the way childhood stories and memories can change and become embellished as they are remembered and retold over time.

The artwork's exceptionally bright colours were also intended to reflect the nearby town of Rainbow and to make the old silo stand apart dramatically from the subdued colours of the surrounding rural landscape.

Artwork / Subjects

Childhood

The central theme of the artwork is the experience of growing up in rural Australia.

Rather than depicting one particular childhood event realistically, Bennett uses surreal imagery to evoke the freedom, imagination and adventure associated with childhood memories.

Family

Family is an important element of the story behind the mural.

Bennett's inspiration came partly from memories of exploring the bush and waterways with his parents.

The artwork can therefore be interpreted as a celebration not simply of childhood, but of experiences shared between children and their families.

Searching for Yabbies

One of the artist's specific childhood memories was searching for yabbies beneath rocks in creeks.

This simple country activity became one of the inspirations for the unusual imagery within the finished mural.

Memory and Exaggeration

Bennett deliberately avoided making the artwork completely realistic.

The surreal and distorted elements represent the way memories can change with time.

Stories from childhood often become larger, stranger or more dramatic each time they are remembered and retold.

This idea is fundamental to understanding the artwork and makes Albacutya quite different from many conventional portrait-based silo murals.

Colour

Colour is itself an important subject within the artwork.

Bennett deliberately used exceptionally bright colours partly to reflect the Rainbow theme of the nearby town.

The intense colours also separate the painted structure visually from the generally muted tones of the surrounding Wimmera Mallee landscape.

Artist

Albacutya Silo Art was painted by Melbourne artist Kitt Bennett.

Bennett is known for creating very large-scale artworks that often play with perspective, scale and the relationship between the artwork and its surroundings.

His work frequently contains unusual or surreal elements that encourage viewers to reconsider the apparent scale and context of what they are seeing.

For Albacutya, Bennett was given considerable artistic freedom rather than being required to reproduce a predetermined community portrait.

His inspiration came from his own memories of childhood, family and exploring the Australian bush.

The result is one of the more distinctive and unconventional artworks on Victoria's Silo Art Trail.

Photographing the Artwork

The Complete Silo

Begin with a clean documentary photograph showing the complete painted silo.

Move sufficiently far away to minimise perspective distortion and leave some space around the structure.

This photograph should clearly show both the scale of the silo and the extraordinary colour of the artwork.

Artwork and Landscape

Albacutya provides particularly good opportunities for environmental photographs because the brightly coloured silo contrasts strongly with the surrounding rural landscape.

Look for compositions incorporating:

  1. Open farmland.
  2. Mallee vegetation.
  3. Rural roads.
  4. Grain infrastructure.
  5. Large skies.
  6. The isolation of the silo within the landscape.

Individual Sections of the Artwork

After recording the complete mural, move closer visually using the 70-200mm lens.

The surreal nature of the painting means that individual sections can work as almost independent abstract or illustrative photographs.

Look particularly for:

  1. Faces and figures.
  2. Hands.
  3. Yabby-related imagery.
  4. Strong colour combinations.
  5. Unexpected juxtapositions.
  6. Areas where the painting interacts with the silo structure.

Scale

Include at least one photograph that demonstrates the enormous scale of the mural.

A person, vehicle or other familiar object can provide a useful reference, provided it can be incorporated safely and without entering the prohibited silo site.

Abstract Details

The strong colours and surreal imagery provide opportunities to make photographs that no longer immediately appear to be photographs of a grain silo.

Use the 70-200mm to isolate combinations of:

  1. Colour.
  2. Shape.
  3. Line.
  4. Texture.
  5. Painted detail.

Map

Location

Albacutya Silo Art is located on Albacutya Road, approximately 9-10 km north of Rainbow in north-western Victoria.

Address:
Albacutya Road,
Rainbow VIC 3424

Google Maps: Albacutya Silo Art

Access & Parking

A designated viewing area has been established for visitors to Albacutya Silo Art.

Visitors should use this viewing area and must not enter the silo site itself.

This restriction is particularly important photographically.

Do not cross fences or enter the silo property simply to obtain a wider camera angle or reduce perspective distortion.

The official visitor listing includes coach parking, indicating that the location is intended to accommodate larger visitor vehicles.

Nevertheless, visitors towing a large caravan should assess the parking and turning space on arrival and remain clear of:

  1. Road traffic.
  2. Agricultural vehicles.
  3. Property entrances.
  4. Operational access.

Accessibility

Albacutya Silo Art is a roadside attraction requiring only a short distance between the parking/viewing area and the principal photographic positions.

There is no substantial walking track.

However, this is a rural silo location and surfaces may include:

  1. Gravel.
  2. Grass.
  3. Loose stones.
  4. Uneven ground.

I have not found authoritative information confirming a formally designed wheelchair-accessible viewing platform specifically for the artwork.

The large scale of the mural nevertheless means that substantial portions of the artwork can be seen and photographed without approaching the silo closely.

Best Light

Early Morning

Early morning provides lower-angle light and potentially quieter conditions.

Low-angle light can also help reveal the cylindrical form and texture of the silo.

Late Afternoon

Late afternoon should be treated as a high-priority period.

Warm light across the surrounding agricultural landscape can provide an attractive contrast with Bennett's intense painted colours.

This is particularly useful for environmental compositions in which the silo is only one component of a broader Wimmera Mallee landscape.

Bright Overcast

Bright overcast conditions can be excellent for accurately recording the artwork itself.

Soft light provides:

  1. Even illumination.
  2. Reduced harsh shadows.
  3. Controlled reflections.
  4. Excellent colour reproduction.

Blue Sky

A clean blue sky provides a simple background against which the exceptionally colourful artwork can stand out strongly.

A circular polariser can help deepen the sky but should be used carefully, particularly with wide-angle lenses.

Storm Light

The isolated rural setting makes Albacutya particularly interesting under dramatic skies.

Dark storm clouds behind the brightly coloured silo could produce one of the strongest possible environmental photographs of the location.

Photograph only from a safe location and never remain exposed during thunderstorms simply to obtain a photograph.

Nearby

Rainbow Silo Art

Rainbow Silo Art is approximately 9-10 km south of Albacutya and should be considered an essential companion location.

Rainbow provides a very different silo-art experience, incorporating external artwork, internal artwork and elevated viewing opportunities.

Photographing both Rainbow and Albacutya provides an excellent comparison between two very different approaches to transforming grain silos into public art.

Rainbow

The town of Rainbow itself is worth exploring rather than simply driving through on the way to the silos.

Photographic subjects can include:

  1. Historic rural architecture.
  2. Federal Street.
  3. Street art.
  4. Old shopfronts.
  5. Rural-town details.

Rainbow Lake

Rainbow Lake is a small recreational lake approximately 2 km south of Rainbow.

Depending on water levels and conditions, it can provide:

  1. Reflections.
  2. Sunrise and sunset colour.
  3. Birdlife.
  4. Reeds and shoreline details.

Lake Albacutya

Lake Albacutya lies approximately 12 km north of Rainbow and is internationally recognised as a Ramsar-listed wetland.

The lake has been dry for many years, but the dry lake environment remains photographically interesting.

Possible subjects include:

  1. Dry lake landscapes.
  2. Tracks and textures.
  3. Mallee vegetation.
  4. Birdlife.
  5. Wildflowers in suitable seasons.
  6. Sunset.
  7. Night skies.

The exceptionally dark skies make the Lake Albacutya area particularly interesting for astrophotography.

Wyperfeld National Park

Wyperfeld National Park is one of the major natural photographic destinations in this part of Victoria.

It provides a substantial contrast to the silo-art locations.

Depending on season and conditions, subjects can include:

  1. Mallee landscapes.
  2. Sand dunes.
  3. River Red Gums.
  4. Wildflowers.
  5. Birdlife.
  6. Kangaroos and other wildlife.
  7. Sunrise and sunset.
  8. Night skies.

Arkona Silo Art

Arkona Silo Art, south of Rainbow towards Dimboola, provides a particularly useful artistic contrast with Albacutya.

Smug's photorealistic tribute to local tennis identity Roley Klinge is stylistically almost the opposite of Kitt Bennett's colourful and surreal Albacutya mural.

Photographing both on the same journey demonstrates the extraordinary variety of artistic approaches represented along Victoria's Silo Art Trail.

Patchewollock Silo Art

Patchewollock Silo Art can be incorporated into a longer north-west Victorian silo-art itinerary.

Fintan Magee's enormous portrait mural provides another very different interpretation of the silo-art concept.

The journey between Albacutya and Patchewollock also provides numerous opportunities to photograph the open Mallee landscape.

How to Get There

From Rainbow

From Rainbow, travel north along Albacutya Road towards Lake Albacutya.

The silo is approximately 9-10 km north of Rainbow.

Allow approximately 10 minutes driving time.

From Dimboola

From Dimboola, travel north towards Rainbow.

This route makes it easy to combine:

  1. Arkona Silo Art.
  2. Rainbow Silo Art.
  3. Albacutya Silo Art.

Together these three locations make an excellent photographic sequence, with each artwork having a completely different style and story.

From Patchewollock

Visitors following the wider Silo Art Trail can approach Albacutya from the north-east via the regional road network from Patchewollock.

Allow additional time for photographic stops because the surrounding Mallee agricultural landscape is itself worth exploring.

Travelling with a Caravan

Albacutya can readily be incorporated into a caravan touring itinerary through the Wimmera Mallee.

The designated visitor area is preferable to attempting to approach the operational silo property.

Visitors towing a large caravan should remain within public areas and ensure that the complete combination does not obstruct local or agricultural traffic.

Techniques used

Kit used

Where to Stay

Rainbow

Rainbow is my preferred base for photographing Albacutya Silo Art.

It is only approximately 10 minutes from the silo and provides immediate access to:

  1. Rainbow Silo Art.
  2. Albacutya Silo Art.
  3. Rainbow township.
  4. Rainbow Lake.
  5. Lake Albacutya.
  6. Wyperfeld National Park.

This makes Rainbow considerably more useful to a photographer than simply treating it as a short stop on the Silo Art Trail.

Accommodation options in and around Rainbow include caravan and camping facilities as well as other forms of regional accommodation.

Visitors towing a large caravan should confirm current site dimensions, turning space and access directly with the accommodation provider.

Dimboola

Dimboola is another good base if combining the northern silo-art locations with Little Desert National Park and the Wimmera River.

It provides easy access to:

  1. Arkona Silo Art.
  2. Rainbow.
  3. Albacutya.
  4. Little Desert National Park.
  5. Wimmera River landscapes.

Horsham

Horsham is the best option if exploring a much larger section of the Wimmera.

As the major regional centre it provides the widest choice of:

  1. Caravan parks.
  2. Hotels and motels.
  3. Restaurants.
  4. Fuel.
  5. Supermarkets.
  6. Vehicle services.

The disadvantage is the greater driving distance to Albacutya, making Rainbow preferable when early or late light at the silo is the main photographic objective.

Photographic Recommendations

16-35mm

The 16-35mm is useful for environmental photographs incorporating the complete silo and a large area of sky.

Avoid standing unnecessarily close to the silo and photographing at 16mm, because this can introduce substantial perspective distortion.

24-70mm

This would be my principal lens at Albacutya.

Use it for:

  1. The complete artwork.
  2. The silo within its landscape.
  3. Medium-detail photographs.
  4. Colour and shape combinations.

Where the viewing area permits sufficient working distance, focal lengths around 35-70mm should provide natural-looking proportions.

70-200mm

The 70-200mm is particularly valuable at Albacutya.

The complexity of Bennett's artwork means that individual details can produce strong photographs in their own right.

Use it for:

  1. Faces and figures.
  2. Hands.
  3. Yabby-related details.
  4. Colour combinations.
  5. Abstract compositions.
  6. Paint texture.

Tripod

A tripod is generally unnecessary during daylight.

Handheld photography makes it easier to explore different compositions from within the designated viewing area.

A tripod becomes useful during blue hour or if making photographs that incorporate the silo and night sky.

Circular Polariser

A circular polariser can help:

  1. Control reflections.
  2. Increase colour saturation.
  3. Deepen a blue sky.

Use it carefully with very wide lenses because uneven polarisation can become obvious across a large area of sky.

Look Beyond the Complete Mural

Albacutya is particularly well suited to detail photography.

After obtaining the essential documentary photographs, deliberately search for compositions where the original silo is no longer immediately obvious.

This is one location where an abstract photograph of colour and form can be as successful as the conventional complete-silo photograph.

Controlling Perspective

Perspective control is particularly important when photographing a tall silo.

Wherever possible:

  1. Move as far back as the designated viewing area permits.
  2. Use a longer focal length.
  3. Keep the camera reasonably level.
  4. Avoid pointing sharply upwards.
  5. Keep the sensor plane as parallel as practical to the silo.
  6. Leave additional space around the structure for later correction.

The access restriction at Albacutya means that photographic positions must remain within the designated public viewing area.

Never enter the prohibited silo site simply to obtain a better perspective.

If perspective correction will be required during processing, compose slightly wider than the intended finished photograph because correction will crop portions of the frame.

Suggested Photographic Sequence

  1. Begin with the wider landscape.

    Photograph the silo within the open Wimmera Mallee environment.

  2. Make a clean photograph of the complete silo.

    Concentrate on accurate perspective and the complete artwork.

  3. Photograph the relationship between colour and landscape.

    Contrast the bright mural with the more subdued surrounding countryside.

  4. Move to medium compositions.

    Use the 24-70mm to isolate the principal sections of the mural.

  5. Switch to the 70-200mm.

    Search for faces, hands, figures, colour combinations and surreal details.

  6. Create abstract photographs.

    Look for sections where colour, line and shape become more important than the silo itself.

  7. Make a scale photograph.

    Safely incorporate a familiar object outside the prohibited silo area to demonstrate the enormous size of the artwork.

  8. Return to the complete silo.

    Re-photograph it if the light or sky has improved during the visit.

  9. Continue to Rainbow.

    Photograph Rainbow Silo Art and the town to extend the story of public art within the district.

  10. Finish with the landscape.

    Lake Albacutya, Rainbow Lake or the wider Mallee can provide a natural conclusion to the day's photography.

How Long

A casual visitor could view Albacutya Silo Art in approximately 10-15 minutes.

For a comprehensive Auspano photographic record, I would allow approximately 30-45 minutes.

This provides enough time for:

  1. The complete silo.
  2. Environmental compositions.
  3. Medium views of the artwork.
  4. Telephoto details.
  5. Abstract compositions.
  6. A photograph demonstrating scale.

With exceptional late-afternoon light, dramatic cloud or an interesting sunset, I would allow approximately one hour.

Priority Photographs

  1. Complete Albacutya Silo Art mural.
  2. Clean frontal photograph with controlled perspective.
  3. Silo within the open Wimmera Mallee landscape.
  4. Wide photograph emphasising the enormous sky.
  5. Photograph demonstrating the scale of the silo.
  6. Principal childhood imagery.
  7. Yabby-related imagery.
  8. Faces and figures within the mural.
  9. Strong complementary colour combinations.
  10. Telephoto artwork detail.
  11. Abstract composition where the silo itself is not immediately obvious.
  12. Detail showing paint interacting with the original silo surface.
  13. Silo against a clean blue Mallee sky.
  14. Silo beneath dramatic cloud if conditions permit.
  15. Warm late-afternoon version of the complete artwork.
  16. Rural road or agricultural landscape establishing the location.
  17. Rainbow Silo Art as a companion photograph.
  18. Lake Albacutya or wider Mallee landscape as a concluding image.

Artwork Information table

Location Albacutya, near Rainbow, Victoria
Artwork Albacutya Silo Art
Artist Kitt Bennett
Completed May 2021
Principal theme Childhood, family, memories and searching for yabbies
Artwork style Surreal, colourful large-scale mural
Setting Wimmera Mallee agricultural landscape
Ownership Privately owned silo
Access Designated public viewing area; silo site prohibited
Opening Open at all times
Parking Designated visitor area; coach parking listed
Principal lens 24-70mm
Useful additional lens 70-200mm for artwork details and abstract compositions
Suggested photography time 30-45 minutes