Abstract
A chance encounter led Irish artist, Kevin Todd to research and develop an acoustic sculpture project to commemorate transportation from Ireland to Australia and in particular the convict ship Neva, which sank off King Island in May 1835 while en-route from Cork to Sydney. The Neva was the only convict ship from Ireland to sink with fatalities and only six women of the over 200 women and children on board survived. The development of the project raised some interesting questions relating to the presentation of art and history and their necessary connection in a publicly accessible manner. The challenge for the project is to present an engaging experience and story in the context of an audience that lacks specialist knowledge in either art or history. The project also allowed Kevin to explore his own cultural space and his experience as a migrant to Australia. Kevin has researched the Neva at archives in Hobart, Sydney, London and Dublin and this has raised some interesting questions regarding events surrounding the wreck.