Three creatives, June (poet and author), Kalen (collage and mixed media, painting) and Sheridan (digital and visual arts) conceived an idea to contruct a paper/ sculpture to represent the unity of humanity and to explore the metaphors of trees in the Baha’i Writings.
Rather than making it alone they decided to make it a participatory art project in which everyone in their Brisbane neighbourhood could participate.
Kalen has designed and constructed the cardboard trunk, and the community have been invited to make the leaves to go on the tree.
Each leaf will be covered in art, poetry, wisdom, tributes to the Bab.
Paper for this purpose is being distributed, and families, core activity groups – Junior Youth and Youth, as well as the sector Feast and devotionals are all invited to make leaves.
June found a series of quotations from the Baha’i Writings, people could use for inspiring the spirit…
Some photo highlights of my first ever attendance at a PNG Independence day celebration anywhere. This is at Logan in Queensland. I went with my mother and brother visiting from Tasmania, as well as family and friends.
Trobriand Dancers
Bouganville Dancers
New Britain Dancers – dusted with talcum powder from audience to give them strength.
Some of my family saying hello to Central Province Dancers – best head dresses of the day.
Dance offs, I’ll see if I can dance your style. South Pacific PNG Based family.
Kairuku Dancers from areas near where my mum is from.
A few days ago, I was in a creativity bubble and not paying attention to weather news for the first time in years.
I received a call from ABC podcasters the Signal, who wanted to interview someone who knew what it was like to be in the pathway of a massive cyclone.
Here is a link to that interview. It starts at 7.35 but do listen to the whole thing.
When a Hurricane Hits (This link won’t stay up indefinitely but for now you can listen to it).
I had a take home message, about communities dealing with the aftermath, long after the media have stopped paying attention to the community.
It is so sad, that the brilliant Aftermath project, which tackled this process not only for cyclones, but for floods and bushfires, and was done by the now dismantled ABC Open is no longer on line for people to turn to.
You can find my cyclone recovery posts stored at my personal blog HERE
The photograph collage below is a map of some of the people, events and processes that helped a community find their smiles again after a cyclone has been and gone.
I will soon be sharing some of those stories perhaps on a panel for CREATIVE RESILIENCE September 21st at COMIC CON Brisbane.
Thinking of the people in the Bahamas and other people affected by Cyclone Dorian. All the very best in your recovery processes! May you all have a recovery journey full of kindness and good humour. Wishing everyone stability as soon as possible.
You will be in my thoughts!
Much love
June
To check up on the people in the Bahamas presently visit
