Lake Dunstan - Protests

Protests

There was a vocal protest against the project from the local community, with outcries for the planning and project to cease. Environmentalists, scientists, lawyers, recreational river users, families that had lived here for generations, and others that had recently moved to the area, all protested, and among the voices, none seemed more poignant than the artists.

There was a perception that the power from the dam was intended for an aluminium smelter near Dunedin. Prominent figures including Ralph Hotere, Andrew Drummond, Chris Cree-Brown and Chris Booth made significant and powerful work that related to the smelter issue, they gained publicity and acclaim with exhibitions and appropriate comment in various art magazines. Other artists worked with the dam issue: Robin Morrison created a sensitive series of portraits on the residents effected by the flooding; Marilynn Webb a compelling series of prints called "Good Bye- Clutha Blue" in 1983; Bruce Foster a series of Ciba-chrome prints investigating the pre-construction lines painted on the land, and Lloyd Godman a significant series of large photo-mural prints gold toned with gold from the Clutha river titled “The Last Rivers Song”. During the filling of the dam to form Lake Dunstan in 1992 - 93 Godman also completed a series of performance works titled "Lake Fill" which involved taking a series of photographs with an underwater camera of a selected vista looking up the river which was gradually obliterated due to the rising lake level.