I love my hometown of Bankstown (Its South-West of Sydney, for those who don't know) It doesn't have the best of reputations, especially in certain parts of Sydney and even though I love my hometown and the people who live there with all my heart sometimes I feel a little tied down by the label of being from Bankstown.
The one thing I love the most about my town and the thing I thought of instantly for this challenge is the Phoenix statue that was built to commeorate the fire at the original council chambers. It is a truely beautiful statue:
(seen here with pigeons sitting on its head)
It's meant to signify the spirit of the citizens of bankstown, for me it signifies what we need to become. Much as I love my town we really were brought up with this belief that unless you are good at sport or want to be a politician you are never going to get out of here. I know thats not true beut its really hard to show pride forwhere you come from if the very mention of its name encourages disparaging remarks or (and this is true) "Wow you're so normal" or "you must be one of the fortunate ones".
So my entry is as much for this challenge as it is for me. I have created an art-doll shrine inspired by my town and the phoenix. I imagine it to be my spirit reincarnated as a pheonix rising out of the experctations and predjudices of my town to become an independant free woman. The shrine is made from sculpted polymer clay and photographs printed on paper and acetate around a base of a matchbox embelished with crystal laquer. The chain is from a necklace I had as a child and its broken to symbolise my breaking free of peoples expectations of me and bankstownians.
Front of shrine (closed)
Front of shrine (open)
Inside (closeup)
Back of inside (photo of me)
Back of outside
3/4 view
another view
I hope you like my challenge entry, its kinda different to the others I've seen because its more about my relationship with my town than actually representing my town, I hope it still qualifies!
-Ralph
