Art something to sleep on, or in

IT’S not the famous and fictitious retail precinct of Fountain Lakes of Kath and Kim face, but this month Dandenong Plaza will welcome something a little bit ‘different’ and unusual’ to its display windows.
An art display of pyjamas constructed from discarded mattresses will add a bit of warmth and humour to the plaza precinct.
The City of Greater Dandenong said the project, titled Afterlife, would be part of the Revitalising Central Dandenong project and would run until 16 October.
“Having once been the bed of a person or persons unknown, the pyjamas embody memories of other lives – from the intimate site of dreams and nightmares, passion and loneliness, birth and death,” the council said in a statement.
Artist Julie Shiels has crafted Afterlife by first stencilling discarded furniture before delving into the art of tearing up old mattresses and reincarnating the pieces in an art display.
Despite its bedtime theme, the council is hoping the exhibit will inject life into the plaza precinct.
Even mayor Youhorn Chea refined his art lingo in a council statement.
“One is amazed that someone would be creative enough to think of doing this,” he said.
“The other reaction is to recoil at the idea of using this dubious material in garments designed to be worn directly against your skin.”