Interactive Installation with Visiting Artist
Embroidery project raises awareness of displaced Shan people
Visiting artist Khun Jakkai Siributr hosted a workshop for Year 11 students on his contemporary art-action project entitled There’s No Place (TNP). The TNP project is an interactive art installation in which the general public is invited to select a piece of material embroidered by displaced Shan people in the north of Thailand and to respond to the artwork by adding their own embroidery. Ultimately, the pieces will form a large installation that will be exhibited both in Thailand and internationally. The artworks from Khun Jakkai’s visit will be displayed throughout the last week of Term 1 in the Secondary Lounge. In addition to the workshop with Year 11, Khun Jakkai has also been mentoring our Year 12 and Year 13 students on their Process Portfolio artwork, which will appear in a Year 12 Exhibition following the Christmas holidays.
The concept of Khun Jakkai’s TNP installation is to raise awareness of the situation of Shan people who are living stateless in Thailand. The previously embroidered artworks were created by Shan youth, of a similar age to that of our students in Years 11 – 13. By engaging in a practical task and collaborating to create joint-embroidery pieces, the art installation becomes a community effort. The project requires around 1,000 pieces of embroidery and students were encouraged to think of the task as writing a letter to a friend in need, either empathising with them or sharing positive things they have in common, such as favourite foods, cartoon characters or attractive designs, so that our students can support the voice of this group. Our students were particularly impressed by the craftwork of the young Shan people and the embroidery pieces promoted a really interesting and mature discussion with Year 11 about the freedoms and privileges enjoyed within our own community. All of the embroidered pieces will be collated at the University of Indiana in November 2023.
If you would like to join us and take part in the TNP project yourself, please contact the Secondary Art Department and they can supply you with the materials.
