By CASEY NEILL
Colourful paper clothing will explore culture in Dandenong’s Harmony Square next month.
Olinda artist Anzara Clarke produced Making Culture with about seven teenage girls at South East Community Links at Springvale.
Their works range from accessories to full-sized garments and reflect ideas about culture.
“It might be their own personal culture, in terms of their history and tradition, or it might be music culture, it might be youth culture,” Anzara said.
“We didn’t put a limit on how they define culture, but that’s what the garments were to depict.
“They were also able to see other people’s ideas of culture. It extends their thinking in quite an organic way.”
The creations will be on display in the Harmony Square exhibition boxes, outside Dandenong Library, throughout August as part of the Greater Dandenong Council Cultural Threads project.
“It was quite interesting to watch them through the process,” she said.
“Each of them has taken a different approach to the way they’ve used the paper.
“They gravitated towards something that spoke to them.
“Some used sewing machines for the first time.
“It was a really nice space for them to really engage in different ways and do something different to their daily life.
“I think they’re all pretty excited.
“They have to go home and think of artist statement to go with their work.”
She said they also picked up problem-solving skills.
“The solution is not always an obvious one. Sometimes you need to experiment and think a bit differently,” she said.
“I think art is fantastic for that.”
Anzara was living in Tasmania and planning a move to Victoria when she applied for the artist in residency project held at Dandenong’s Heritage Hill.
“I use the garment form pretty much exclusively,” she said.
“A lot of my ideas are about culture and identity and human experience.
“I work a lot in paper.”
She found out about Cultural Threads through the application process and jumped at the chance for community engagement.
“I do love the community-based art projects as well as my own work,” she said.
“They create a space for people to really stretch and explore themselves.”
She said working in a studio could be quite a solitary experience.
“It’s nice to balance that out with some of that community engagement.”
The month-long Cultural Threads will build on its 2014 incarnation and celebrate textile art and cultural diversity.
The City of Greater Dandenong-hosted event will feature knitting, crocheting, dyeing, weaving, needlepoint, yarn art and other skills.
People of all ages and backgrounds will be guided by some of Australia’s most celebrated artists to forge connections, trade skills, share stories and interweave cultures.
There’ll be activities at multiple venues including the Walker Street Gallery and Arts Centre, Heritage Hill Museum and Historic Gardens, the Drum Theatre, the Dandenong and Springvale libraries and Harmony Square.
Intricate and colourful installations will adorn the municipality throughout Cultural Threads, which is a satellite event of Craft Victoria’s Craft Cubed Festival.
Anzara will be the artist in residence at Heritage Hill Museum and Historical Gardens, 66 McCrae Street, Dandenong, from August to October.
