Day 2: Barraba Silo Art

‘The Water Diviner’ by artist Fintan Magee was unveiled in April 2019 and has received worldwide notoriety.

The Barraba Silos are privately owned by Simon and Amanda Koopman and are located at the southern entrance to town on Manilla Road.

To refine the theme for this mural, Fintan visited Barraba in early 2019 to inspect the site and to meet with the local community. After speaking to the locals he gained an understanding of the local area. He listened to their stories and the concept for the mural was conceived.

In 2019, NSW continued to be in the grip of one of the worst droughts Australia has ever faced, with over 90% of the state in drought. Large areas of NSW were facing severe water shortages, with supply being limited to critical water needs only.

This mural depicts a local water diviner searching for groundwater, using a y-shaped twig or rod or two L-shaped ones. Diviners study the landscape of a farm and walk over areas where they suspect the water may be located. Ground minerals and magnetic forces force the sticks to cross or be pushed downwards when water is located. Despite many studies claiming the technique is pseudo-science, diviners continue to be used throughout Australia as a way of finding groundwater.

Work began on the silos on the 25 March 2019 and they were completed just 24 days later on the 19 of April. The Barraba Silos are officially the 28th silos to be included in the Australian Silo Art Trail Collection.