A request from South West Arts for the installation was approved by Berrigan Shire Council at its October meeting.
In a summary of the project presented to council by South West Arts, it said ‘Emerging from Isolation’ aimed to provide a youth focused interactive public art space in Finley.
“The vision for the project was to create a mobile artwork in a room that drew on experiences from the recent events of COVID-19, fires, drought and floods and explore how young people are recovering from these disruptions and challenges.
“Our goal for this project was to encourage the entire community to speak out about how these events have affected them, especially their mental health and how they are moving forward.
“The mobile art space was moved around various public areas around Finley over three months, to ensure it was widely accessible.
“It was set up as a representation of a teenager’s bedroom, an area in which many young people spent large amounts of time during the COVID lockdowns. This room acted as the canvas on which experiences, feelings, hopes, challenges and desires for the future could be shared.
“Packs of sticky notes were provided, on which a thought, feeling, a sketch, a single word, poem, or short description of their experiences over the last few years could be written.
Young people were then asked to place their sticky notes on any and every surface in the room with the aim of creating a shared visual conversation about resilience and overcoming trauma,” South West Arts explained.
Councillors were advised in a report from deputy chief executive officer Matthew Hansen that “allowing the installation of the artwork would demonstrate council supports young people in the area and has a commitment to public art”.
Council agreed to permit the permanent installation.
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