Transformer project clears final hurdle with Parks and Wildlife

It’s been five years since a grand art installation was promised for the Huon Valley to draw visitors to the area. Now, it’s finally cleared a major hurdle, but there’s more to be done.

Project X presents a series of major artworks in the Huon, with the aim of bringing visitors back to the south in the wake of the bushfires that ravaged the island

In 2019 a grand art installation, designed to attract thousands of visitors to the bushfire affected Huon Valley, was promised for the region, but five years on, planning stages for the project have only just wrapped up.

Transformer, by American artist Doug Aitken, has been described as a ‘never-ending kaleidoscope’, which ‘interacts with the landscape’.

The installation, proposed by DarkLab, will be located at the Ida Bay state reserve.

The Huon Valley Council approved plans for the installation last year, after initially rejecting it in 2021.

Project X presents a series of major artworks in the Huon, with the aim of bringing visitors back to the south in the wake of the bushfires that ravaged the island.

The state government allocated $2.7m towards the build, which was estimated to cost $8.7m at the time.

The project was due to be complete in January this year, but the project has only just cleared its biggest planning hurdle.

On Monday, the state government announced the project had progressed, after receiving approval from Parks and Wildlife (PWS).

“This is an exciting step forward for the project, submitted as part of the tourism EOI process, and the Tasmanian Government remains committed to seeing the development progress,” Parks Minister Nick Duigan said.

“It will generate sustainable growth to our visitor economy and support jobs, particularly in the Huon Valley region.

“Transformer will be a unique project, one that will connect visitors with the environment through art.”

It’s the final approval needed for the project, but there are still some steps which need to be addressed before construction can begin, including negotiating and finalising a leave with PWS.

Late last year, Labor criticised the delays to the project, claiming it had been caught up in red tape.