CULTURAL SERVICES PROJECT
Mad Hatter – Recycled Cardboard Madness
Left to right: Peter Trajkovski, Kiosha Gardner, Mai Nguyen-Long, Ivan Frangoff; Coniston Men’s Shed 4 June 2015.
Working in the Wollongong Youth Centre art room with participants from Essential Employment and Training 15 June 2015
as above…left to right: Kylie, Chentelle, Jordan…
Throughout June and August Wollongong City Council’s Cultural Services team and Community Cultural and Economic division hosted Mad Hatter workshops with selected groups within the Wollongong community. In session 1 workshop facilitators, artist Mai Nguyen-Long and council officer Kiosha Gardner, guided participants through using discarded A4 photocopy paper boxes as a template for the hat structure. In session 2, paint, found / recycled / donated fabrics, ribbons, feathers and other decorating materials were applied to realise the individual creative flavours of their makers. It is hoped that participants will don these bold and theatrical hats in the 14 Nov 2015 Viva La Gong Parade. The workshops are a platform for sharing, learning, having fun together, and connecting with the community.
Eliza & her hat 29 June 2015; This Essential Employment & Training group was so fast I could barely keep up with them!
Farooq trend setting in Coniston
Four funky, very wet, milky hats…awaiting their dry-time glossy-shine…Coniston Men’s Shed 18 June
A few of the dried hats, awaiting Viva La Gong
Don & my amazing colleague Kiosha Gardner
Ramazan…perfecting the geometric touch…
Additional note:
“Participants: Five Islands Secondary College, Coniston Men’s Shed, Essential Employment and Training, and Young Adult Book Club Wollongong. The workshop was originally inspired by Steam Punk hats, highlighting a visual connection with the stunning industrial landscapes unique to Wollongong. The idea of Mad Hatter was subsequently embraced, thereby using similar dramatic hat structures but presenting an open invitation to participants to express their own angle on the theme. The spec provided by Council was that the hats were to be constructed from recycled cardboard. Experimenting with different forms in consultation with project manager Kiosha Gardner, I identified the abundance of discarded A4 photocopy paper boxes as a perfect all-in-one template to achieve the desired outcome.” Mai