Four seasons of play

A scene from the Shapes of Play community art workshop, held on 23 September 2018

Four Seasons of Play was installed on a cold and windy winters day on 30 July and updated on a glorious spring day on Monday 10 September 2018. On 23 September 2018, the Shapes of Play community art workshop saw over 100 people participate, creating over 50 fence artworks. 

This project reflects on the changing face of the Mitcham Hills across a single year and on the special place that natural play settings have for younger people and their families.

It is presented at Apex Park, Watahuna Avenue, Hawthorndene. 

Many thanks to the City of Mitcham for support through a 2018 Public Art Grant. 

About Four Seasons of Play

The artwork consists of two key elements - the Four Seasons Tree and the Shapes of Play community artworks all around the tennis court fence.

The Four Seasons Tree

The Four Seasons Tree is a 3-metre-high deciduous tree created on the fence using coloured satin ribbon. Whilst the trunk and branches of the tree remained unchanged throughout the year, the leaves were changed each season. 

The tree started out win its winter form - bare. Strips of ribbon shimmer in the wind and rain. 

The tree then changes to its Spring form, with blossoms fluttering around the bare branches. 

The tree then changes to its Summer form, with leaves. 

And finally the tree was presented in its Autumn form, with leaves changing colour. 

Shapes of Play

On 23 September 2018, a beautiful Spring Sunday, over 100 people took part creating over 50 fence artworks. Most of these artworks reflected the shapes of children at play. Interspersed with these are a wonderfully colourful array of artworks created by families. 

The shapes of play artworks were created by a child standing alongside the tennis court fence so that their outline could be marked on the fence using pegs. Then, in dot-to-dot style, ribbon was used to trace along the outline creating a permanent record of the child's shape. 

Many thanks to all the families that took part, transforming the Apex Park tennis court into a vibrant display of community creativity. 

Also many thanks to the City of Mitcham for putting on a sausage sizzle as part of the day. Staff and elected members worked tirelessly through the day, serving over 250 sausages. 

Here are some images from the day. 

The dabbing mermaid!