By YASEMIN TALAT
THE Geonaut project has landed in Laverton.
Geonaut is the name of a large-scale immersive painting project which involves over 200 artists.
Workshops have been running around the western suburbs since July. Over four days in September, starting from next week, the Hobsons Bay community is invited to join in the building and painting of the geodesic dome.
Geonaut designer and director, artist Adam Douglass said the project was an artwork that involved many diverse community groups.
He said Geonaut translated to an astronaut of geometry.
“We are trying to create an artwork that captures an aspect of what a range of people think and how they creatively interact and we’re trying to provide an opportunity for people to express themselves freely without boundaries,” Mr Douglass said.
“The process of this project involves a whole lot of people from different backgrounds,” he said.
“The focus is that it is not specifically related to one social issue, it’s about community and bringing people together.”
Geonaut will appear in the Footscray Mall as part of the Big West Festival.
“People are going to walk inside the painting and be completely immersed in it,” Mr Douglass said.
“The painting feels like a collective unconsciousness, an experience where all these different ideas are cohesively interacting with each other,” he said.
“People can be blown away by the sheer scale and intensity of it.”
Collaborating organisations include Western Region Health Centre, Yarra Community Housing, Lentil as Anything, AMES, Mind Australia, Dame Phyllis Frost Corrections Centre.
Workshops will be held from 17-20 September at the Woods Street Arts Space.
Bookings are essential contact Adam on adamdouglass79@gmail.com or follow the process at https://www.facebook.com/geonautdome