The Logan Youth Foyer feels more like home thanks to a creative collaboration with local artists.
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Video transcript - Connecting a young community through art
Rolando, Director of REKON Youth Outreach: Hey so my name is Rolando Pisia. I'm director of REKON Youth Outreach.
It's quite a unique experience for me to how much ownership the young people in this space have taken in regards to the art piece being presented. It's actually a culmination of ideas that the young people within the space have come together and basically talked about some of their interests, some of their, you know, backgrounds and what they felt represented them.
Taylor, Youth Foyer Resident: I thought it was a really good, fun thing for us to do here. And it also got all the people in the complex to kid of engage with each other and get to know each other a bit better.
Michael, Youth Foyer Resident: I went to one of the meetings that was showing the design for it.
Tyler, Youth Foyer Visitor: And then he came, told me about it and I was like, 'Yeah I'm keen. Yeah I love. I really love it."
Michael: It's really good. Gives it colour.
Tyler: Yeah it inspires, it makes it more happy.
Frankie, Queensland Government: Originally the idea for the mural at the Logan Youth Foyer came out of the design consultation process. Initially the young people were talking about a graffiti-type wall. That idea was really embraced by the architects and they included an art installation piece as part of their design.
Rolando: One of our artists from REKON who goes by the name of Big P... Big P... And he was the person that conceptualised and was able to implement the ideas onto a vision board for the young people. And we've also had Jess whose our local artist here based in Logan and we have the young people who've contributed as well.
Jessica, Artist: My name's Jessica Skeen and I'm originally, our countries from North Queensland, the Kuku Alanji and the Biri. What I have noticed when I have worked with young ones and with even these lot here is they're really reserved at the start. But when they get hands on and they get that encouragement to be a part of it, it's just... It's an empowerment that you see in them and it's a confidence that just comes about.
Taylor: The mural makes me feel like it's more like home because whenever I walk to the office I'm always going to see it and it just reminds me of my culture and makes me feel a lot more comfortable here.
Gillian, Youth Foyer Resident: It makes me feel connected to community you know. Like art is very... I don't know the words for it but it's very unique, you know. For them to bring it here and collaborate with us on what we want was good but I reckon it made me a bit more confident, like, getting to know people in these units.
Rolando: So some of the things you're going to see in this artwork is some of the native animals that represent Australia. We have a lot of Maori and Polynesian patterns as well and so again representing some of the Pacific Islanders within the space.
Jessica: With our centrepiece, being a young man playing a didgeridoo, to have that as a centrepiece is like a celebration and a welcome to the residents in this area. It helps them take ownership, it helps them bring about pride and a sense of belonging and that their voices matter. And I think that's a really powerful thing we need to do as a community, like, our young people matter and they need to feel it.
