The Roots Of Democracy

Role: Lead Artist – Commissioned by Yarra Plenty Regional Libraries

The Roots of Democracy was a creative response to a theme presented by Yarra Plenty Regional Libraries for Library Information Week 2024.

The project manifested in three parts, Collate, Collage, and Respond.

Collate: The collation phase involved the artist spending the day at Watsonia library collecting de-identified, overheard quotes from library Patrons. It also involved YPRL staff across all libraries asking patrons “What have you been learning in the Library today?” and taking notes. At the artist’s request they also collected quotes from books returned to Watsonia Library during the project lead up.

Collage: The collage phase involved using the collected “voices” and quotes and weaving some of them together as a written collage poem. This was then written directly on the windows of Watsonia Library, allowing chaos and cohesion to appear. Alongside this “found poem” the artist would looking in through the window and sketch moments of people interacting with the library directly onto the glass. Capturing tiny moments that are often lost as quickly as they happen in a loose and impressionistic forms. This culminated in an interactive, site-specific performance poem, and visual collage, which was formed with and from the Watsonia Library and beyond (with the inclusion of all the YPRL Libraries involvement). Both library patrons, and the artist themself, were able to watch the poems and visual art appear in a way that will never be  exactly replicated. It was a truely “of the moment” and genuine depiction of how the Library supports a wide range of people to make choices that build our world through living an informed life.

Respond: A few weeks after the project the artist reflected and responded to when they had learnt and witnessed in a moving and emotive poem called “Quiet – A library Poem”. This response poem was circulated in the YPRL newsletter and internal publications.