Sculpture By The Sea (ATOM Study Guide)

For three weeks in November every year, an extraordinary outdoor sculpture exhibition takes place along a two-kilometre stretch of the Sydney Harbour shoreline between Bondi and Tamarama.

Sculpture By The Sea is a 40-minute documentary film following the journey of curator David Handley and his team over the past decade to show how and why this has become one of the most popular arts events in the world.

Sculpture by the Sea was conceived by David Handley in 1997 as a temporary exhibition showing a marriage of sculptural works and Australia's sublime coastal landscape. Since then it has evolved from a humble one-day event organized by volunteers working out of David's living-room to become a bi-coastal series of annual exhibitions that captures the nation's imagination. (A similar exhibition takes place on Cottesloe beach in Western Australia in March 2008.)

This is a beautiful and lively film, showcasing both the range of artworks and the extraordinary scenery that the works become an integral and living part of each year.