Week 5 – Causing Effect

"Cause and effect refers to the philosophical concept of causality, in which an action or event will produce a certain response to the action in the form of another event." wikepedia.org

May we be making an impact? I think so! Activating imagination; allowing a space for play; and as a result: reclaiming ability; building self-esteem... I could go on and on!

As a result of a recent summation from a Department of Qld Health audit, I find myself realising that we may in fact have a "recovery" model here. I'm no psychologist and have never studied, at least as an academic, the way we humans function but it's not hard to use empathy – at least in relation to your own life journey, see something truly in action here as a result of these workshops.

This week started out a little more harmoniously than last week with the meditation going mostly unhindered, and I now have mastered the ipod technology so there was no inappropriate loud drumming follow-up!

The collaborative mural continues to evolve and come into the life that it is. One participant noted that she felt it was complete as is and started to withdraw away and into her own studies. As the guide, I feel it may indeed be time to bring the mural to a close next week and provide the opportunity to finish off what seems to be required. Now I need to plan a way to make a stretcher so that this baby can be installed into the exhibition.

Our stand-out among others this week was some work brought in from home by one of the participants. Small studies of abstract marks that one would expect from an accomplished artist! Promptly removed to their safety, these pieces beg to be mounted for show. Apparently they were the small but significant remnants of up to 70 plus pieces produced in the middle of the night as a result of insomnia. The others came to grief by way of destruction! I have given strict instructions to this artist, that she may slip bundles of these works under the Old Court House door on a day to day basis so that we may be able to save them from their possible lack of future! I look forward to showcasing these pieces in the exhibition.

We started our mandala this week too. Pie sections of gesso covered donated banner material were cut and divided up amongst all. They quickly had their backgrounds washed in, using a similar approach to the early days of the mural. This process came easily while the appreciation of loose washes were enjoyed. Watching water pool and run into amazing marks created what one participant called "finished" as is on her section so finished it is! The remaining mandala pieces will soon take on plant studies, reflecting the theme: "what I would look like if I were a plant". The centre piece disk has already been born in clay and mixed mediums – the earth for the mandala pie to grow from! 

The exhibition planning is now on my mind. The inevitable logistics! Invitations are about to be sent out for the opening on the night of October 13 at St Paul's Church Hall. Councillor Charlie Pisasale has kindly taken up the offer of officially opening. The exhibition will be at the church hall for this one night and then travel over to the Old Court House Childrens' Courtroom for the remainder of its time until November 6. Thanks so much to the Old Court Houses' Brian Isgrove and gallery director Sasch Mason for kindly facilitating this extension of time so that as many people as possible can enjoy the fruits of our play!

Please enjoy these snippet sections of this week's mural work.