The vibrant mural that adorns the western wall of Village Green in Karawara is more than decoration – it captures moments in place, according to community arts facilitator Mikaela Miller.
“The Paint My Village project invited young people from all over the City of South Perth to contribute their ideas, memories, feelings and connections to this place,” Mikaela explains.
“I compiled all of the young people’s ideas into one single design and then a team of volunteers worked over two Sundays to create the finished result.”
An eager 89 volunteers signed up for two-hour painting shifts, which were spread over two weekends.
After wet weather made the first two scheduled sessions a wash out, the sun came out in full force, with the mural completed on Sunday 8 September. For some of the painters, the mural project became a way to discover more about themselves and each other.
Volunteer Tria (she/her) is one of them. She says the project was a great opportunity to broaden her artistic practice.
“This was different to my usual painting style – I’m having to give up control and just get the paint on the wall,” Tria says. “I think I usually like to take control too much.”
For Alison (she/her), the process felt like an ongoing conversation between the artwork and the other painters. “I like the connection part of community art, that’s why I signed up for it,” Alison says.
Seventeen-year-old Asher brought a sense of humour to the project, sharing a light-hearted approach to the task at hand. “I’m here because I’m loyal to SPYN (South Perth Youth Network) and I am really trying to stay in the lines,” jokes Asher.
“It’s really coming together but I am not going to be too disappointed when I get to stop painting,” Asher adds.
The City of South Perth would like to thank everyone involved in making the Paint My Village project a success.
Alison (she/her), 25
“The best part has been the connections I’ve made. We’ve all shared a piece of ourselves and created something together. Now, we get to give our collective work to the community – it’s such a beautiful experience.”
Tria (she/her), 19
“I think painting like this is teaching me to surrender to the process. I’m used to small, detailed work, so this is huge.”
Asher, 17
“I’m here because I am loyal to SPYN and I’m just trying to keep my painting in the lines. You have to watch those lines – they sneak up on you.”
