By Goya Dmytryshchak
India-born artist Anuradha Patel will lead a two-week community art project at Altona’s Joel Gallery which looks at the trees that bind us.
Members of the community are invited to attend paper cut-out workshops to construct a tree installation to be titled Source.
“The meaning of it, in essence, is that there’s a core or starting point for all of us which really informs us and then as we expand and move in our cultures and as people migrate, there’s an extension of that,” Patel said.
“You’ve got a starting point which is your cultural background and your roots and so on, and then as you immerse yourself in other cultures you’re sharing with other things that are around you.
“One of the main trees that we’ve looked at is the banyan tree which is very important to many cultures across Asia and also here in Australia, and it often is like a community member – it gathers people around it.”
The project, with public workshops planned for between August 11 and 22, is part of the Hobsons Bay Creative City winter arts program. It will culminate in a final art showcase and Indian feast on August 23 from 6-8pm at the Joel Gallery.
Details: www.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/source2018
