Cultivations – 2015
I was commissioned by Blacktown City Council to create a series of public artworks for the newly expanded Glenwood Community Hub in Western Sydney.
Cultivations is based on the cultural identification of plants. A significant community engagement process informed the conceptual development of the public artworks. People who use the community hub were invited to participate in a series of creative workshops. The outcomes of these workshops informed the text and imagery used for the artworks, thus furnishing a sense of community ownership and belonging. The presence of a Sikh Temple in the suburb of Glenwood enabled me to work directly with a group of Indian women, who provided valuable cross-cultural dimensions to the artwork.
Community members who contributed to the project include: Students from Glenwood High School – Teacher: Alex Cyreszko, Glenwood Girl Guides – Leader: Joanne Weeks, SydWest Glenwood Indian Women’s Group – Facilitator: Sonia Kalsi, Balwant Chadha from the Sikh Temple
Working closely with architectural firm DesignInc enabled the public artworks to be sympathetically integrated into the building.
Cultivations is a series of 8 laser-cut corten steel artworks displayed along a 20m glass wall of the banquet hall with shadows projected onto the concrete acoustic wall. Text relating to each artwork is printed on the glass.
Photography: Craig O’Neill