‘A Portrait of Pally’
Marmion St / Baal St, Palmyra WA
- September 2019
The first in a series of two sump-fence murals for the City of Melville, showcasing the simple and intimate features of the Palmyra neighbourhood.
This project was specifically built to engage the community in a meaningful way throughout the research, design and install stages. Collage workshops were held at the local farmers market and the local library, using natural materials found from the neighbourhood.
The experimental, tactile works created by the community during these sessions told a story of the area: what grows there, visiting birds, the patterns that become familiar when you live in that place, the objects we are drawn to pick up and brush, break, arrange, smell when we are passing through or staying to play a while.
The outcomes of these workshops directly informed the mural design. Motifs and compositions from the prints and collages were illustrated and arranged into a loose flowing pattern across the length of the fence. Community members then joined in across two days of collaborative painting to install the piece they had helped create.
Collage is an activity suitable for all ages and abilities as there is little artistic confidence or experience required. The materials are tactile, the processes promote collaboration and conversation, as well as aiding the development of fine motor control and mindfulness. It also means participants can make their own works to take home with them on the day, which is a lovely immediate outcome. Meanwhile, it still acts as a useful means to document and directly translate their ideas into the project.
This formula can be applied in any neighbourhood, anywhere - so get in touch if you’d like to offer this style of community-focused project in your local community.
