Kaniva Silo Art
To prepare for the Kaniva mural, Melbourne artist, David Lee Pereira met with Kaniva the community and immersed himself in researching local animals and plants found in the region. David has a self-professed love of flowers and he knew from the start that nature would be a big part of his design.
The silo art was completed in late 2020, and depicts an Australian hobby falcon along with Scented Sun orchids and Salmon Sun orchids. The design is a tribute to native flora and fauna found in the nearby Little Desert National Park.
About the Artist
David Lee Pereira is a Melbourne-based studio and mural artist. He has completed a range of public art installations throughout Melbourne, Sydney and Berlin. He had also completed silo art murals previously in NSW. He was assisted by fellow artist and friend Jason Parker.
Painting the silos
The artwork took more than 200 hours to complete and used about 400 litres of paint. Local photographer Cindy McDonald provided the reference images David chose for the silo. See photos of the painting process and a time lapse video below.
Viewing the artwork
The silos are located in Progress Street, Kaniva, and there is a viewing area situated at Band Park. Street parking is available, with ample space for caravan. Please do not park in front of the Kaniva Fire Station.
The silo site is still regularly accessed by trucks and machinery, so please take care.
About the silos
Construction on the Kaniva silo began in January 1939 and it was completed in November that same year. It had a capacity of taking 2,950 tonnes and received 4,979 tonnes of wheat in the 1939-40 harvest. The silo was in use until 2014.
The Kaniva Silo is known as a Geelong Concrete Silo. Overall 91 silos were built in Victoria between 1935 and 1950 using this design. These units are open-topped bins with corrugated galvanised iron roofs.