Reservoir Laneways—
Springtime Garden Portraits catalogue and public art project.
Reservoir Laneways was a two-year, community-engaged art project, commissioned by Darebin City Council. Over the two years, Artful Deeds developed several artworks with the community, each work had a different theme based on who was participating and what was happening in the world at the time. The installation was situated across two connecting laneways in the suburb of Reservoir, realised as large-scale street posters. The art project was archived as a series of small books.
Art and Design Approach
For Springtime Garden Portraits, I worked with residents from the East Reservoir Strathmerton Street apartments to create their own handmade garden portraits. Through a series of workshops held at the apartments, women created the works using local flora from Darebin Creek and their own gardens. Hand-sewn elements and even a convincing selection of fake flowers were included! I then photographed their works and managed the print production and installation of the images, as posters in the laneways. I had each of the portraits reproduced as a small framed print to hang in the women’s homes.
This stage of the project was supported by and made possible by the amazing team at Reservoir Neighbourhood House. Thank you to the women who created the portraits; Betty, Esme, Lyn, Roslin, Sonia, Maria, Bev, Flora and Josie.
Springtime Garden Portraits: creative process
The idea! Observing plants against coloured backgrounds during community gardening days (these are seedlings in a blue crate), wondering if these could become artworks.
Testing the idea with found materials: polystyrene base, real and fake flowers, making holes to hold the flowers with knitting needs—not pretty from this angle!
Then looking from above against a coloured background — this is Maria’s creation from the workshop and morning tea. Love it!