Community members have been capturing a moment in time through the Message in a Bottle installation at Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery.
Instead of being tossed into the sea, glass bottles filled with anonymous messages from the public now adorn the ImaginArts Space.
The project will continue until 27 August with plenty of time for locals and visitors to add their contributions to the piece.
Traditionally, a message in a bottle was a way to send a letter without ever knowing who would receive it and if it would survive the journey.
The installation is a nod to this tradition of hope and reaching for help in traumatic times.
It aims to create a safe place where people can capture their thoughts and emotions while having a sense of connection with their community.
Creative recovery
Bridges Health and Community Care Business Manager and experienced local artist and mentor Shelley Pisani said installations like these were important community conversation starters.
“It encourages people to share their stories and feel valued and connected with other people with similar experiences and perspectives,” she said.
“Provocations like this get people thinking, talking and sharing which is so important in bringing communities together and allowing people to feel included”.
Shelley said she believed art offered a safe and effective space to engage with mental health issues and that this kind of sharing could be cathartic.
“This is a considered and intimate way of allowing people a moment of release whilst in a contemplative space like a gallery,” she said.
“Art offers a way of expressing yourself in word, song, on stage or through a paint brush that gives you time to consider your message, refine it and share it.
“It is a way of expressing an opinion that allows people to connect with your story as the creator and asks them to consider your point of view.
“Sometimes it is easier to share a message through art.”
Message in a Bottle
When: Mon to Fri 9.30 am – 5 pm and Sat + Sun 10 am – 2 pm
Venue: Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery
Cost: Free
Find out more here.
