SCARECROWS OF WYNDHAM VALE
In 2014, Gretel responded to a request to make scarecrows as part of Iramoo Community Centre’s school holiday program (for all ages) in Wyndham Vale, which is located beside Lollipop Creek. It had seemed inappropriate to scare away birds, when one of the most celebrated aspects of this area is its wetlands and abundant bird life. The project departed from the garden variety scarecrow to create ‘Glam-crows’ - clothed in shiny things, blue things, bright colours and bread! - in order to attract birds. Inverting the usual function and making scarecrows that attract, rather than scare, might also throw some ambiguity on perceptions of Wyndham Vale and its residents, suggesting ‘We are not necessarily what you might expect…’
The participants made wonderful scarecrows, each imbued with their own style (almost avatar-like). The ‘bling-ed up’ scarecrows, their makers and an entourage of local photographers went for a walk to the playground, along the creek and local streets. Participants were asked to place their scarecrows in relation to these neighbourhood sites. The scarecrows brought the place to life in a myriad of ways- charming, casual and hilarious. Kids were finding ‘treasures’ like gum-nuts and discovering tadpoles in the creek, and the photographers documented the scarecrows in relation to their makers and the environment. Some of these photos were exhibited for Iramoo Community Centre Festival, which adopted the scarecrow as a sort of mascot.
Scarecrows of Wyndham Vale was an Art and About project as part of ARC Discovery research 'Challenging Stigma' led by sociologist Deborah Warr through Centre for Health Equity, University of Melbourne. Gretel was employed as Artist/Research Fellow from 2014-17 and evolved a site-responsive social practice approach to challenge place-based stigma, develop a sense of belonging and inclusion within neighbourhoods and present nuanced perspectives of a place to outside audiences. Gretel had long-term residencies in Wyndham (Victoria) and Hobart, in which she engaged groups of residents in Art and About projects reflecting upon their neighbourhoods and creating collaborative artistic outcomes.
Photos by Lisa Field and Emmy Silvius
The participants made wonderful scarecrows, each imbued with their own style (almost avatar-like). The ‘bling-ed up’ scarecrows, their makers and an entourage of local photographers went for a walk to the playground, along the creek and local streets. Participants were asked to place their scarecrows in relation to these neighbourhood sites. The scarecrows brought the place to life in a myriad of ways- charming, casual and hilarious. Kids were finding ‘treasures’ like gum-nuts and discovering tadpoles in the creek, and the photographers documented the scarecrows in relation to their makers and the environment. Some of these photos were exhibited for Iramoo Community Centre Festival, which adopted the scarecrow as a sort of mascot.
Scarecrows of Wyndham Vale was an Art and About project as part of ARC Discovery research 'Challenging Stigma' led by sociologist Deborah Warr through Centre for Health Equity, University of Melbourne. Gretel was employed as Artist/Research Fellow from 2014-17 and evolved a site-responsive social practice approach to challenge place-based stigma, develop a sense of belonging and inclusion within neighbourhoods and present nuanced perspectives of a place to outside audiences. Gretel had long-term residencies in Wyndham (Victoria) and Hobart, in which she engaged groups of residents in Art and About projects reflecting upon their neighbourhoods and creating collaborative artistic outcomes.
Photos by Lisa Field and Emmy Silvius