An eye-catching giant golden monkey has taken up residence in Lydiard Street.
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Artist Lisa Roet's Golden Monkey slowly came to life over several hours clinging to the edge of the National Centre for Photography where it will stay for the two months of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale.
The nine-metre tall inflatable snub nosed monkey arrived in Ballarat with its artist creator in a 1m x 1m bag, having recently been on show on a historic building at the recent Edinburgh Festival.
![Lisa Roet's Golden Monkey is installed on the corner of the National Centre for Photography, the former Union Bank Building on Lydiard Street. Picture by Lachlan Bence Lisa Roet's Golden Monkey is installed on the corner of the National Centre for Photography, the former Union Bank Building on Lydiard Street. Picture by Lachlan Bence](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/michelle.smith/064eab7b-33ac-480b-927f-84c479d8f6b5.JPG/r0_316_6192_3811_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Ms Roet said the monkey interacted with the various buildings it was installed on throughout the world, bringing a different facet to each display.
Not only is it an eye-catching addition to the Lydiard Street-scape, Ms Roet hopes the monkey will help kick-start important conversations about global warming and climate issues.
DISCOVERY OF THE NEW MONKEY
The giant snub nosed monkey is based on a sub-species of the primate that was discovered in the high altitude mountains of China's Yunnan Province when Ms Roet was completing an artist in residence program in Beijing in 2011.
![Artist Lisa Roet oversees installation of Golden Monkey on Lydiard Street. Picture by Lachlan Bence Artist Lisa Roet oversees installation of Golden Monkey on Lydiard Street. Picture by Lachlan Bence](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/michelle.smith/ddd3e450-c595-4707-aa39-107e68d9c31f.JPG/r0_14_6192_4128_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"It was discovered because it was sneezing," Ms Roet said while watching Golden Monkey being installed on the old Union Bank building.
"They found it because villagers reported an ancestor that was sick, that was sneezing high up in the mountains. Scientists ... went up and found a new sub-species of snub nose monkey which is very endangered.
"The reason it was sneezing is because the monkeys, by their nature their noses had evolved to be just a slit in the face ... and because of global warming the frozen area they live in was melting, which meant water was getting into their noses and they had to sneeze it out.
"They are a symbol of global warming."
![Workers install Golden Monkey on the old Union Bank Building in Lydiard Street. Picture by Lachlan Bence Workers install Golden Monkey on the old Union Bank Building in Lydiard Street. Picture by Lachlan Bence](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/michelle.smith/a05b4b72-0849-46ed-96bb-be8a3f1c08d3_rotated_90.JPG/r0_0_3712_5568_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Ms Roet told her Chinese colleagues she would come back in 2016, in the Year of the Monkey, and bring a golden monkey to put on the building.
The monkey in Ballarat is one of two she has created that have been installed on buildings across the globe.
ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE ART
With the environment and endangered species a focus of her artistic work, Ms Roet has a strong circular sustainable model for her art.
Despite its size, it has a lightweight footprint for touring, packing into a 1m x 1m bag. And when it is retired, it will be cut up into pieces and donated to local colleges who study textiles and fashion design.
The buildings the monkey is mounted to also help tell a story, Ms Roet said.
"The story behind the building is just as important as the story of the monkey. What sets us apart from apes is our ability to transform our environment, which is good and bad.
![Golden Monkey will look out across Lydiard Street until the Ballarat International Foto Biennale ends on October 22. Picture by Lachlan Bence Golden Monkey will look out across Lydiard Street until the Ballarat International Foto Biennale ends on October 22. Picture by Lachlan Bence](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/michelle.smith/bcee72f7-98f7-4119-a01c-2361753b1943.jpg/r0_0_4933_3256_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"This building was a bank building, built during the gold rush to store our initial wealth. Gold and the commodity of gold has its own interest ... which is why it's nice to be here in Ballarat.
"It's coming to the heart of Victoria's wealth and how we develop as a nation ... and the Chinese heritage here is also relevant. The goldfields was the beginning of the multicultural environment here."
EYE-CATCHING ATTRACTION FOR FOTO BIENNALE
When Golden Monkey was announced as a feature of the BIFB, chief executive Vanessa Gerrans said it was part of a focus on creating immersive experiences and part of a "spine" of exhibitions and attractions along Lydiard Street from Ballarat Station through the centre of the city including drawcard exhibitions at the Art Gallery of Ballarat.
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"We really wanted to incorporate into the festival this year, the opportunity to be in the photo," Ms Gerrans said.
"A lot of our theme is about truth, reality and the bombardment of images we have in media, in our socials, and the use of phones to document life.
"We wanted to create an immersive experience where visitors can participate and look at and get to know artists when they visit.
Ballarat International Foto Biennale runs from August 26 to October 22.
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