CITY BLOOM Place Activation Project - The MET - Maroochydore City
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Working as the ‘Cosmic Collective’, photo-media artists Man&Wah and local creatives Dr Sue Davis and Chony Bowden will create ‘City Bloom’. Projections and installations will celebrate a legion of our region’s blooms and enliven the new Maroochydore city centre as it grows. Through a series of walkshops and workshops other community members can also join in to create images and art. This activation will culminate with a curated night-time projection event on site at The MET, Maroochydore where an exquisite night garden will be created and shared. The event will feature projections, pop up exhibition, immersive sound and music, and live drawing in response to the flower-inspired video projections.
‘City Bloom’ seeks to encourage locals and visitors to think about the role plants, flowers and nature may play as the city blooms, considering ways to enliven the city centre and our own home locations through incorporating the beauty of the plants from place. Participation in the activities and events will also improve physical and mental health and wellbeing, creating a sense of connection and community for residents and visitors.
Project coordinator Dr Sue Davis said “We are excited about the opportunity to activate the new city centre, to illuminate it with the beauty of our local blooms, and connect with local residents, business and visitors to grow a vibrant, living city centre.”
Check out OUR FEATURES FLOWERS
Key dates:
Workshops
For all workshops,
Limit of 15 participants, $10 (subsidised price)
Floral bloom life drawing – Thurs 19 Jan, 9-11.00 am
With Sue Davis & Chony Bowden
This session is a bit like life drawing but with stunning floral inspiration! You will be guided through different drawing exercises using ink, twigs and other mark making materials to create a series of drawings in response to the mesmerising video creations of Man&Wah. Materials provided though you are welcome to bring a few brushes and colours should you wish.
Photography ‘walkshop’ with Man&Wah – Sat 4 Feb, 8-11 am
With Man&Wah
Come join photo-media artists Man&Wah to explore the botanical life and what is in ‘bloom’ around the Maroochydore City Centre. Man&Wah will share practical techniques and tips to capture the profound beauty of nature through digital photography. At the end of the sessions, participants will have the option of submitting images to go towards a pop-up exhibition installation in March.
Equipment to bring
Smartphone OR iPads OR DSLR camera
Light tripod (optional)
Flower bloom lanterns – Sat 18 Feb, 9-11.30 am
With Sue Davis & Chony Bowden
Create your own paper lantern in response to local flower inspiration. All materials provided as you are guided through a process to create your beautiful illuminated bloom. Hopefully you will create two, one to take home and one to leave for our installation event in March.
All materials provided.
Pop up exhibition and projection event
‘City Bloom’ will illuminate the MET-Maroochydore City Centre on Thursday 2 March 2023 to align with the March Design Series event.
The ‘Cosmic Collective’ team includes:
Dr Sue Davis of Wild/flower Women is an independent curator, facilitator, artist, writer and initiator of the ‘Wild/flower Women’ series of exhibitions and projects. She has led and managed many arts events and projects across the Sunshine Coast and beyond featuring participatory processes and community engagement. She has a broad ranging skillset in trans-disciplinary creative practice, professional writing and communications. She is an alumni of the MET sponsored ‘The Refinery’ program, as one of the 2021 cohort.
Chony Bowden is the founder of Chony’s Art Room’ and through her business facilitates mindful visual art workshops for all ages and spaces across the Sunshine Coast. This includes teaching people with various health needs who attend Coolum HeARTS, ‘Expressive Art Groups’ at the MET, and one to one art tuition for people with a variety of psycho-social and physical disabilities. She has extensive experience as an arts teacher across Australia and internationally, and has engaged school and community groups in a range of place-based installation and mural projects including ones that focussed on the visual representation of endangered flora and fauna. Chony is an alumni of the MET sponsored ‘The Refinery’ program, as one of the 2020 cohort.
Man&Wah are photo-media artists whose work is concerned with plants, humans and the cosmos. They have professional training in photography, graphic and industrial design and in recent years melded together their individual practices to collaborate on creating beautiful botanical inspired work featuring still and moving imagery. Their work has been commissioned or selected for a range of site-specific programs, events and activations including the Museum of Brisbane, State Library of Queensland, Brisbane City Council, HoTA (Home of the Arts, Gold Coast), Splendour in the Grass, Botanica Festival and Mackay Botanic Gardens. Man&Wah visual creations and large installations celebrate the beauty and diversity of nature from around the world, inviting deeper reflection of our relationship with nature and to appreciate the role it plays in sustaining a liveable planet.
Image credit: Fan Flower, Man&Wah
'CITY BLOOM' has been supported through the Place Activation Grant Program. This program is an initiative of the Maroochydore City Centre delivered in partnership between Walker Corporation, SunCentral and Sunshine Coast Council.
‘City Bloom’ seeks to encourage locals and visitors to think about the role plants, flowers and nature may play as the city blooms, considering ways to enliven the city centre and our own home locations through incorporating the beauty of the plants from place. Participation in the activities and events will also improve physical and mental health and wellbeing, creating a sense of connection and community for residents and visitors.
Project coordinator Dr Sue Davis said “We are excited about the opportunity to activate the new city centre, to illuminate it with the beauty of our local blooms, and connect with local residents, business and visitors to grow a vibrant, living city centre.”
Check out OUR FEATURES FLOWERS
Key dates:
Workshops
For all workshops,
Limit of 15 participants, $10 (subsidised price)
Floral bloom life drawing – Thurs 19 Jan, 9-11.00 am
With Sue Davis & Chony Bowden
This session is a bit like life drawing but with stunning floral inspiration! You will be guided through different drawing exercises using ink, twigs and other mark making materials to create a series of drawings in response to the mesmerising video creations of Man&Wah. Materials provided though you are welcome to bring a few brushes and colours should you wish.
Photography ‘walkshop’ with Man&Wah – Sat 4 Feb, 8-11 am
With Man&Wah
Come join photo-media artists Man&Wah to explore the botanical life and what is in ‘bloom’ around the Maroochydore City Centre. Man&Wah will share practical techniques and tips to capture the profound beauty of nature through digital photography. At the end of the sessions, participants will have the option of submitting images to go towards a pop-up exhibition installation in March.
Equipment to bring
Smartphone OR iPads OR DSLR camera
Light tripod (optional)
Flower bloom lanterns – Sat 18 Feb, 9-11.30 am
With Sue Davis & Chony Bowden
Create your own paper lantern in response to local flower inspiration. All materials provided as you are guided through a process to create your beautiful illuminated bloom. Hopefully you will create two, one to take home and one to leave for our installation event in March.
All materials provided.
Pop up exhibition and projection event
‘City Bloom’ will illuminate the MET-Maroochydore City Centre on Thursday 2 March 2023 to align with the March Design Series event.
The ‘Cosmic Collective’ team includes:
Dr Sue Davis of Wild/flower Women is an independent curator, facilitator, artist, writer and initiator of the ‘Wild/flower Women’ series of exhibitions and projects. She has led and managed many arts events and projects across the Sunshine Coast and beyond featuring participatory processes and community engagement. She has a broad ranging skillset in trans-disciplinary creative practice, professional writing and communications. She is an alumni of the MET sponsored ‘The Refinery’ program, as one of the 2021 cohort.
Chony Bowden is the founder of Chony’s Art Room’ and through her business facilitates mindful visual art workshops for all ages and spaces across the Sunshine Coast. This includes teaching people with various health needs who attend Coolum HeARTS, ‘Expressive Art Groups’ at the MET, and one to one art tuition for people with a variety of psycho-social and physical disabilities. She has extensive experience as an arts teacher across Australia and internationally, and has engaged school and community groups in a range of place-based installation and mural projects including ones that focussed on the visual representation of endangered flora and fauna. Chony is an alumni of the MET sponsored ‘The Refinery’ program, as one of the 2020 cohort.
Man&Wah are photo-media artists whose work is concerned with plants, humans and the cosmos. They have professional training in photography, graphic and industrial design and in recent years melded together their individual practices to collaborate on creating beautiful botanical inspired work featuring still and moving imagery. Their work has been commissioned or selected for a range of site-specific programs, events and activations including the Museum of Brisbane, State Library of Queensland, Brisbane City Council, HoTA (Home of the Arts, Gold Coast), Splendour in the Grass, Botanica Festival and Mackay Botanic Gardens. Man&Wah visual creations and large installations celebrate the beauty and diversity of nature from around the world, inviting deeper reflection of our relationship with nature and to appreciate the role it plays in sustaining a liveable planet.
Image credit: Fan Flower, Man&Wah
'CITY BLOOM' has been supported through the Place Activation Grant Program. This program is an initiative of the Maroochydore City Centre delivered in partnership between Walker Corporation, SunCentral and Sunshine Coast Council.
