By CASEY NEILL
A NEW art project has helped refugees and asylum seekers find a voice in Greater Dandenong.
‘There are no words/under construction’ is appearing on the Dandenong civic square big screen until 31 August.
The ongoing project is a collaboration between artists Michelle Hamer and Cat Wilson who worked with Southern Migrant and Refugee Centre clients to create this latest instalment.
They used time-lapse photography to capture hand-stitched artworks featuring text.
“The text is all ‘found’ text that I have collected from subject lines, sticky notes, email and text and verbal exchanges over the last few years,” Ms Hamer said.
“It is language that is a part of my own life and is allowed to take on different meanings when others interact with it.”
The team behind City of Greater Dandenong textiles celebration Cultural Threads approached Ms Hamer and Ms Wilson with the project after seeing videos they made for Melbourne Now at the National Gallery of Victoria earlier this year.
“Being interested in language and the way it is used meant that engaging with a group of people where their English language skills varied was an exciting challenge,” Ms Hamer said.
“People without access to the local language – and refugees with uncertain status even more so – risk having no voice which added an extra dimension to the project.”
She said the women involved were “extremely poetic” with the stitched flash-cards, like “Hello; May be; See me; I’ve got diamonds in my eyes” and “There is growth in life; Always”.
“The photostrip sequences they formed are so powerful. Strong, fun and emotive,” Ms Hamer said.
The artworks are part of a larger exhibition that will launch at Ararat Regional Gallery next year.
