AFTER a series of creative workshops, a group of sexual abuse survivors are now showing their artwork in Art Space for the Thinking About Monuments, Maquettes and Metaphors exhibition.<\/p>\n
Guided by artist Eliza-Jane Gilchrist, the collection of survivors created cardboard sculpture pieces in response to thoughts surrounding what the memorial for sexual abuse survivors may look like.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were six sessions, but people could take their work away and work on it because they were just working with cardboard which is not a scary material,\u201d Gilchrist said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe went in through the idea of metaphor, we used it as a way of putting ideas and images together and making meaning in that way.<\/p>\n
\u201cI usually work with cardboard in my practice because it\u2019s a lovely thing to work with and is abundant and it speaks to what we really value as a society and it speaks to the idea that anything can be valuable if you it and spend time and attention and give it value.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the course of the workshops, Gilchrist said the participants went from creating collages from their metaphors to thinking up and producing larger scale cardboard art works.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was emotionally intense and people found that at times they needed to have a break from it, it was a big ask in some cases and a brave undertaking,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to make sure everyone felt okay about what they were saying so I tried to make a safe environment for them to say what they wanted to say and make what they wanted to make.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of the lead artists had some training before hand with Continuous Voices about trauma informed practice so we could understand some of the issues and how to make a safe space but the group really gelled and ended up being really supportive towards one another.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of Gilchrist\u2019s workshop participants Trevor Coad said while he\u2019s never worked with cardboard in that way before, it was interesting to channel his thoughts into a new medium.<\/p>\n
\u201cI included little quotes of hope because this is the hope I wanted to bring, can we be life changers for people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s this interactive piece of mine called Get Over It, what I wanted to show is that you can\u2019t just brush things off so easily, the metaphor is that although you can\u2019t get over something, there\u2019s ways for a psychologist to help and using a technique called EMDR to process those memories.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a metaphor for appropriate professional help, although it\u2019s not always that easy, there\u2019s ways out there to help people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fellow participant Livio Turkovic said he also and found the process challenging but cathartic.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo come in and talk about your story was a hard thing to do and to try and put your own thoughts, words and feelings into something literal, was a huge effort,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s a way to open up to increase a bit of understanding and help other people understand what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n