A Landscape of Resilience
Adderton: House & Heart of Mercy, All Hallows’ Convent, Brisbane, 1 May - 7th November
Landscape of Resilience is an interactive exhibition and community studio hosted by Adderton: House & Heart of Mercy in Brisbane, Queensland. Contemporary visual artist Chrys Zantis facilitates site activation, individual learning and community engagement through the studio space and her unique, time-honoured creative practice. The central installation, A Landscape of Resilience Project (2009 – Present), is a participatory art project situating artist as mentor, community members as artists, and the works produced and displayed collectively in the shared space as installation, work station and sanctuary. Inviting members of the public to claim collective ownership of Landscape of Resilience as it unfolds forms part of the tactile tapestry of Adderton’s RE-COLLECTIONS programme.
Zantis sensitively engages with individuals and communities affected by marginalisation, particularly based on migrant status, cultural and linguistic diversity, mental ill-health and gender. Zantis’ facilitation style and choice of media enables ‘talking around the table,’ where traditional crafts and cultural hospitality open up meaningful, long overdue conversations to stimulate personal growth and communal empowerment. Landscape of Resilience unites Adderton’s mission to respond to and redress systemic oppression with Zantis’ pioneering altruism, advocacy and activism in a supported, safe and sacred place. This collaboration provides members of the community who may not otherwise be linked with fine art to discover first-hand the unique part they play in benefiting and advancing society by authentically expressing themselves.
RE-COLLECTIONS calls upon members of resilient communities to reflect upon and celebrate their strengths. Landscape of Resilience demonstrates, in real time, how these strengths can be actualised towards lasting, positive impacts on groups of people and the world at large.
*Photos are all work in progress. This is a participatory performance installation.