FSC - The Journey Begins
Like life… ‘Community is a journey, not a destination’…
And if we want to create a more connected community in which we live and work, we should create better places to gather
…and ways to share.
This perspective is the driving force and ethos behind the First Steps Count Child and Community Centre being built in Taree.
Join me over the next few weeks as I share the development from ‘initial sketches to final installation’ of the vibrant and unique artwork that has been created in this building with the help of many hands from the community.
More than a whisper….
I had heard whispering that a biophilic building was being born in Taree, but until Clare Brennan (Director) of First Steps Count (FSC) contacted me in 2021 I didn’t truly understand what this project was about.
Biophilia means “a love of nature.”
And biophilic design is the way in which architects bring nature into buildings to contribute to the health and well-being of occupants…using natural patterns, shapes and forms…plus light and space to enhance the relationships between people and spaces.
My role in the project was to be the Arts Coordinator to create the artistic design through the centre (internal and external), using these principles… and collaborate with community to engage “Many Hands to Build, Create and Unite on a Design Journey”… Which was the projects aim.
A collaborative, creative journey with community to make an artwork that spans more than 40 metres in length….that was a project I definitely wanted to be involved with.
So, of course I said yes!
Architect mock up of the building
I was excited at the opportunity to work with Carolyn and Russell from Austin McFarland Architects and Walter and the team from Duber Constructions plus Clare, Sue, Annie, and Rosemary from FSC.
When I heard the brief my first thoughts were….
How on earth am I going to be able to involve community in the creation of a mural on a construction site, with a huge span of wall…. especially when the demographics of the centre cater for families with children from 0-12.
From previous experience, I already knew that while murals are a great way to give community ownership and involvement in a space, they can also provoke tensions and create challenges about content, skill level and who gets to be involved.
Instead, I looked to involve community in the design process stage with a series of ‘Drawing with Scissors Workshops’ to create patterns that were inspired by our local environment.
‘Drawing with scissors’ is a process coined by the artist Henri Matisse where shapes and forms are cut from paper with scissors and rearranged to make interesting patterns.
These workshops were held at the Manning Regional Art Gallery with many families attending, and more than 55 artworks created. Here are a few…
My process then involved tracing the shapes within the children’s artworks to create outlines of the forms… You can see how a fascinating intersection of lines and shapes are created when simplified.
The designs from the families were then combined, rearranged and simplified to create the mural feature throughout the building…..here are some of the initial drawings on a flattened plan of the wall….
A mock up of the designs on the wall plan
Walter and myself deep in thought, nutting out the logistics of how to get the designs on the wall.
Thank you for sharing journey… the next chapter of the development of the artwork for Stage 1 of the First Steps Count Building is shared in Blog 2 FSC - How the Building Grows
Ali Haigh x
