AN upcoming community art project will see vibrant colour and texture throughout the Bridge Mall when it\u2019s yarn-bombed for the Ballarat Winter Festival.<\/p>\n
Germaine Davey, general manager of The Bridge, said the initiative is designed to emphasise that the shopping centre is a space belonging to the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cArt is a good way of coming together as a community, we want to engage as many community members in this project as possible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bridge Mall traders work really hard on these projects, so this is a nice way of us coming together with the public in a more direct way.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a long-term benefit underpinning this; the more you engage community, the stronger it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bridge is encouraging people to donate any unused or unneeded wool they might have around their workplace, home or club.<\/p>\n
If anyone would like to crochet small \u2018granny squares,\u2019 The Bridge will accept them for their traders\u2019 installations.<\/p>\n
But they\u2019re inviting individuals, community groups and schools to register, to put together their own collaborative installation.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo far, we have a whole plethora of people who have signed up on behalf of groups or charities. It\u2019s really exciting,\u201d Ms Davey said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll start installing from the 16th of June. It\u2019s a very interactive experience. As our registrations come through, we\u2019ll talk to people about what they want to build and where they want that to be.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to offer knitting classes by one of our Bridge Mall artists as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
An official Yarn-Bombing @ The Bridge event will be held on Saturday, 10 July. A Woolly Waggers dog fashion parade showcasing knitted canine outfits will be part of the fun, with prizes up for grabs.<\/p>\n