Worlds of imagination

By Kath Gannaway
TURNING a motley lot of old furniture into an amazing collection of fantasy worlds may seem like a bit of a stretch … until you get together some very creative kids, inspired parents and grandparents and Polyglot Theatre.
On Saturday 18 September, at Healesville Memorial Hall, “Our Place through the Eyes of a Child” will go on show.
Four artists from Polyglot have worked over the past 10 weeks with a group of parent/child pairs from Healesville and surrounding communities on what has been a unique creative process resulting in the beautiful exhibition of installations.
“Old furniture has been inhabited by surreal worlds that celebrate the perception of children,” project director Jessica Wilson said.
Ms Wilson said some of the group had been affected by the Black Saturday bushfires and the opportunity to work closely together with a parent or child on a creative project had been a meaningful and inspiring experience.
Maidi Mitchell and her daughter, seven-year-old Eliza Hoiles, are looking forward to sharing their fantasy creation with the outside world.
Ms Mitchell said Eliza took part in the Polyglot ‘Wish Street’ project last year at school and loved it.
“This has been a lot of fun too,” she said.
“I think Eliza has got a lot of confidence from it and I have really enjoyed the one-on-one time with her.”
Ms Wilson along with visual artist Lisa Franklin and sound artists Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey have worked with the group to invent installations that are visually charming and sonically enlightening.
Giving a tiny insight into their installation, Ms Mitchell said she and Eliza had chosen the mountains and hills as their special place and bike riding and reading as their fantasy activities.
Just how they have brought all these things together, quite magically, will be revealed at the exhibition which runs from 10am to 3pm.
“Our Place through the Eyes of a Child” is presented by the Shire of Yarra Ranges and the Bendigo Bank Community Enterprise Foundation.