MULTIMEDIA IMMERSIVE INSTALLATIONS Artistic storytelling journeys through historic places, combining Amanda's linocuts, her narratives, projection, sound and voice.
Red Bricks was a site responsive immersive installation delivered in the East Loddon Woolshed during the 2026 Loddon Valley Arts Festival
Step inside the historic East Loddon Woolshed and discover the lives behind its red brick walls.
Red Bricks: What the Woolshed Remembers was a 45-minute immersive installation by Amanda Western, weaving original linocut artworks, projection, animation, sound and historically informed storytelling into the building itself.
The audiences discovered stories of ambition, invention, working lives and lo
The installation was built from original artworks created by Amanda Western for this project, drawing on historical photographs and records of the family, the woolshed, East Loddon Station and the cultural life of the period.
Indepth research was undertaken to construct a historically accurate basis for
the narrative. Amanda chose Ivy Ettershank, John Ettershank's youngest child, to be the narrato
The installation involved a team of creative and logistical support:
Amanda Western – Creator & Director
Emily Holland – Host, site manager & videography
Jim Coad – Animations & projection
Tabitha Rickard – Ivy Ettershank voice & sound mixing
Rosemary Sorensen – Loddon Valley Arts Festival Director
Alex Western – Performer, vocals, “Ballad of 1891”
Anthony “Stem” Holland & Chip – Host, woolclass
Red Bricks Partners & Sponsors
Lantern Vaults was a site responsive immersive installation delivered in the Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute during the 2026 Ballarat Heritage Festival
Audiences descended beneath the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute into the basement and vaults to enter the hidden world of the Batten family.
These subterranean spaces became the setting for an intimate, atmospheric experience. Set in the 1870s, an animated projection unfolded across the vaulted rooms, drawing on original artworks by Amanda Western and the voice of twelve-year-old Florence Ellen Bat
The installation was 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 was 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 reflected that shift, how learning moved beyond a small few and into the wider community.
Lantern Vault Partners
Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute
The BMI graciously opened the basement and vaults for this exclusive Ballarat Heritage Festival event. They provided inkind support including staff and volunteer support and access to their archives for research to develop the narrative and associated artworks.
City of Ballarat
The City of Ballarat provided grant funding from the Creative Inspirations grant stream and the Heritage Festival stream to support the installation. This is greatly appreciated as it meant I could bring this experience to the Heritage Festival visitors at no cost.