15 Dec 2022
Youth engagement project, Melville Hockey Club Kardinya. Commissioned by the WA Public Health Alliance and the City of Melville.
This work was commissioned by the WA Public Health Alliance and the City of Melville. It was installed at the Melville Hockey Club in Kardinya. I worked with mental health professional Orian Read to develop a workshop for young participants aged 12-15 to explore ideas around mental health, depression, anxiety and resilence. Exercises and ideas generated by the young people in the workshop informed my design for this 30m long mural.
The challenge was to create a work which comunicated ideas around mental health in a life- affirming, positive way, given the context and location of the wall. Colours and symbolism have been used to communicate a progression from left to right, depicting darkness and isolation, moving through communication, growth, clarity and new life.
The young people who participated in the workshop returned to assist with painting and joined by others from the Melville community. It provided them with the chance to create something that would add beauty and a meaningful message for the community. They worked extremely hard and seemed to enjoy the physicality of painting, working side-by- side with each other and making new acquaintences.
The title of the work "Invincible Summer" comes from the Albert Camus quote:
"In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer."