How Craig Walsh uses projection to transform trees into temporary public monuments
In this interview, Craig Walsh explores the creative process behind Monuments. Monuments is a long-running outdoor projection project that uses projected portraits on trees to create temporary public monuments. The project began at Woodford Folk Festival in 1993, when Craig discovered how a projected portrait could align with the form of a tree and become a sculptural presence in public space.
Craig Walsh is an Australian artist known for pioneering approaches to projection, installation and site-responsive public art. Over more than 30 years, his work has animated trees, rivers, mountains, urban architecture and live event environments across Australia and internationally with projections.
In this conversation, Craig discusses how Monuments has evolved from early slide projections into a touring project shaped by each site and community. The structure of the work remains clear: projection, trees, night-time public space, portraiture and temporary monument. What changes is the community, the selected people, the site, and the local meaning attached to each portrait.
Listen to this podcast to learn about:
- Why community involvement is central to the current form of Monuments.
- How Craig thinks about projection as sculpture rather than screen-based video.
- Why subtle movement can be more powerful than direct interaction.
- What artists need to consider when making media art in public space.
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Chapters
- (00:00:00) Working outside the gallery
- (00:02:18) Projection as sculpture and installation
- (00:05:42) The origins of Monuments
- (00:15:18) Choosing who is represented in public space
- (00:19:10) Stillness, sound and subtle movement
- (00:20:31) Weather, trees and outdoor uncertainty
- (00:24:17) Projection, spectacle and light festivals
- (00:25:59) Touring Monuments and installation process
- (00:34:20) Trust, responsibility and representing people at scale
- (00:37:20) Advice for artists working with projection in public space
About Craig Walsh
Craig Walsh is an Australian artist known for pioneering approaches to projection, installation, and site-responsive public art. Over the last 30 years, his work has animated unconventional sites, including trees, rivers, mountains, urban architecture, and live event environments across Australia and internationally. His practice combines digital media, public space, and strong conceptual frameworks to create large-scale works that respond to the conditions and histories of each site. Craig has also developed major community-based projects, including Home Gwangju in South Korea, Traces — Blue in Setouchi, Japan, and FIVE with DADAA Inc. in Western Australia.
Takeaways from this interview with Craig Walsh
Monuments is a long-running outdoor projection project by Craig Walsh. It uses projected portraits on trees at night to create temporary public monuments. The structure of the work stays consistent: projection, trees, portraiture, and public space. What changes in each version are the community, the selected people, the site, and the local meaning attached to each portrait.
Projection, trees and public recognition
“The premise of the work is to look at people who contribute to a space outside of the usual conventions that are honoured.”
Craig describes Monuments as a project with a stable structure and a flexible social process. The work uses projected portraits on trees at night, but each version changes through local conversations about who should be represented. This makes the project more than a visual method. It becomes a way to question how public space recognises contribution, memory, and community.
Experimentation as a way to find the work
“The ideas that kept coming back to me were the ones that I stuck with.”
Craig’s process shows how media installation can grow through testing rather than planning everything in advance. The first tree projection came from moving a projector through a site and seeing what happened when an image met a real surface. That discovery became a project that has continued for decades.
Projection as sculpture
Craig talks about his work through sculpture and installation. The tree is not treated as a flat screen. Its form, bark, movement, foliage, and scale shape the portrait. Wind and seasonal change can add another layer of movement. This gives the work a physical presence that changes with the site.
Working with public sites
Craig’s practice shows that outdoor media art requires technical planning but also trust, patience, and judgment. The work depends on projectors, positioning, and post-production, but it also depends on conversations with communities, relationships with participants, and detailed decisions made on site.