LiveStream artwork
Thousands of people come together for one night each August along the banks of Edgar’s Creek as part of the annual Walking Thomastown event. This year, visitors will experience larger-than-life encounters with fish looking back at them. As visitors leave the path alongside Edgar’s Creek and climb the small rise towards the historic Thomastown Lutheran Church, they will be greeted by moving images of native fish peering back at them.
Artist Alison Bennett has been capturing video footage at Native Fish Australia’s conservation hatchery in Bundoora. “I am delighted by the idea that visitors walking along the banks of Edgar’s Creek will look up to see gigantic fish peering back at them from the side of the historic church. I am using the working title ‘LiveStream’ to underline a vision of the creek as a living system with communities of creatures below the surface of the water. Having spent many hours sitting with my camera at Native Fish Australia’s hatchery, I can tell you that they are kind of curious about us.”
Jayne Burton, Vice President of Native Fish Australia (Vic) and manager of NFA’s hatchery in Bundoora, explains “because we rarely see native fish when we look at our waterways, they are often forgotten about - but they are fundamental to the health of our aquatic environments. These creatures have long called our creeks home and we owe it to them to restore these habitats so they can return.”
Malcolm from Lalor Landcare recalls playing in this section of Edgar’s Creek as a child. In semi-retirement, he is still playing in the creek, planting trees, and advocating for a diverse and thriving future for this waterway. “Just as we want to plant more trees along the banks of the creek, it would be awesome for the creek to support a diversity of communities above and below the water. We know the life that once lived in these waters. We are putting in the work now to support this long term vision.”
LiveStream is a call to the future life of the creek, a mirage that could become a reality.
Native fish species that appear in the work:
Stay in touch with the development of the LiveStream project by following Alison on Instagram.
Audio compositions by Tim Kahn and field audio recordings by Dan Burnett.
Find more information about Dr Alison Bennett
Acknowledgements
Artwork information
Artwork name: LiveStream
Artist name: Alison Bennett
Year of creation: 2026
Location: Thomastown Lutheran Church, Thomastown, Victoria, Australia, 3074
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