CREATE09

Last night we attended CREATE09 - Brisbane State High School's Art exhibition/extravaganza in South Brisbane. The works were displayed through the campus, and we wandered around the installations on a very balmy winter's night. My niece Emily's work was on display amongst the many talented young artists from the school. Emily's year was responsible for creating 'gateways' to the art at each of the entrances, and also for the lighting and illumination in the grounds. Emily's lanterns, which she made in collaboration with her friend Holly were a highlight for me - playful, stylish, elegant with a touch of whimsy.

Her main piece was a statement around the busy lives of young people and their desire at times to escape to a fantasy world. It worked beautifully as a statement, using digital prints on transparencies placed within a desktop filing/organiser system, moving from the black and white of school to the full-blown colour of moments of adventure and flights of fancy. It was an interactive piece, allowing you as the viewer to re-arrange the sequence and tell the story as you understand it. The ability to interact and play with art works is a recurring theme in my own work and I really appreciated the opportunity to play with somebody else's work!

There were fabulous photographs, statement paintings, wearable dresses fashioned from plastic bags, artists' books and sculptures and it was great to see so much talent shining through.