Our second cultural tour was in the City of Greater Dandenong. The City of Greater Dandenong has a great history of cultural regrowth and focus on the arts with lots of fantastic projects underway. Karen and I first connected to this through the Nocturnal walk several years ago and it was this connection that inspired us to start the first project in that area. So it was a bit like coming full circle to come back here.
More importantly this is the place were our participants are most likely to come and connect after the project has finished.
There were several highlights of the day. We saw the Drum Theatre back stage and the scenery and costumes for the Phantom of the Opera, which was happening there at the time. It was a glimpse into another world, a play before the curtains are raised. Christine gave us an impromptu live public art performance which had some locals staring wide eyed. She was amazing. We shared an excellent Afghan lunch before seeing the exhibition Burkas and Hoodies at Walker Street Gallery. Our tour took us through the streets of the City Greater Dandenong where you can find public art hidden in the alleys and car parks like hidden treasure.
Our final stop for the day was Heritage Hill which has been the venue for our creative workshops.
Here are some visual records of the day……
