Be and Belong

Be & Belong offered all ages an opportunity to make art and chill out as part of the DESIGN Canberra Festival 2020. The participatory public art project was delivered by the Care Collective with founders, multidisciplinary artist Kirrily Jordan and I. The event was sponsored by the ACT City Renewal Authority.

Kirrily conceived two activities, the ‘People’s Weaving Academy’ - a collective weaving project to weave your own mark into a DIY community tapestry, and ‘Kindness Café, an activity that gave participants an opportunity to share a little story of kindness in exchange for a cupcake. I offered ‘Pause Chairs' for passersby to stop and pause for a minute or two with a guided meditation.

The gentle space we created in City Walk was invitational. It generated conversation and a sense of connection and hope at the end of what was a challenging year for many in our city (and across the world) because of COVID-19.

Our vision at the Care Collective is to produce collaborative, joyful and creative practice that is low-barrier and supports “we, not me”.