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Public Faces Public Spaces was an initiative of the Weerama Festival, the City of Wyndham's annual community festival, made possible principally through Australia Council CCDB funding. The aim of the project was to explore public space from a youth perspective; encouraging young people to critique community perceptions about their place in the public domain while also considering their rights and responsibilities within a wider community context. Using disposable cameras, during a series of site visits, the young participants recorded the places they gather together with friends, their travels within and beyond the neighbourhood, and the day to day issues they encounter as young people living in Wyndham. The resulting photos and ideas formed the basis of a contemporary art installation comprising a photographic collage and video. The installation was designed and integrated in response to the architecture of the Wyndham Cultural Centre. Once the photographs were developed the young people worked with Megan Evans, grouping their combined photographs into categories. These included: vandalism, graffiti and 'dodgy places'; public art; transport; faces; and the natural environment. One category featured images they participants felt were simply great photos. The young people worked with the Artist to organise these photographs into a series of collages, which was to comprise the overall installation. The resulting installation was exhibited at the foyer and library of the Wyndham Cultural Centre in Werribee from 19 March until 9 May 2003. A short documentary video was also created as a record of the project, featuring footage taken during various site visits as well as during project's development and production stages. Megan Evans is a Werribee-based contemporary visual artist whose career has encompased painting, sculpture, new technologies and public art. She has extensive experience working on arts projects in collaboration with various communities, including young people. She is currently completing her PhD at Victoria University, where she also teaches students in the Bachelor of Arts, Computer Mediated Art course. This project has been assisted by the Federal Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body. It also received local community support through Julia Gillard MP, Pierre's Image Centre, Wyndham City Council, Wyndham Cultural Centre and Wyndham Youth and Children's Services. For information about the project contact Arts and Cultural Development Officer, Wyndham City Council on (03) 9742 0904 or the Weerama Festival on (03) 9742 8126. 
| | Public Faces Public Spaces installation in situ at Wyndham Cultural Centre |
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