INTERSTELLAR SUPERHEROES

(2022)

Interstellar Superheroes engages and collaborates with the children that gather and play at Cubbies, the Fitzroy Housing Estate's Adventure Playground. Cubbies have provided a safe outdoor space in the grounds of the Fitzroy Public Housing Estate for over 40 years. The Adventure Playground that is the home to Cubbies, was born in 1979, the international year of  the Child, based on the tenement that all children have the right to free and safe play. Throughout its history, Cubbies has welcomed and supported many children from diverse backgrounds as migration to Melbourne evolved, and continuously provides opportunities for creativity and imaginative play, offering a safe haven for children, many from the nearby Fitzroy Housing Estate, providing supervised play and an opportunity to develop their physical, social and life skills. 

Centre for Projection Art with artist Susan Maco Forrester, assisted by Billy Raffin, are engaging Cubbies middle years program (aged 8-12) in a series of workshops, guiding and supporting these kids to create a large-scale public artwork to be shared with their wider community.    The impacts of COVID-19 on Melbourne and especially those in public housing has been greatly felt. These children have been unable to gather, play, share and connect as they normally would through 2020 and now in 2021. 

Exposure to new media, digital and public art is important for children to explore creativity into the future.  Through this project they will explore cultural tales, retro-future aesthetics and cosmic colours, creating drawings to be animated into a large scale public projection artwork that will only be limited by the wildest imaginations of these post-pandemic future humans. Through this project, children will learn about the impact that art has on communities to bring people together through a shared vision.  

Interstellar Superheroes aims to foster a sense of ownership for these children and their families living in the Fitzroy Housing Estate and provides a connection to the wider community through the Gertrude Street Projection Festival.

This project has been proudly funded by Nelson Alexander Community Day and Vic Health. Special thank you to the The Electric Canvas team in supporting the technical production of this project and Nic Dowse for sharing your space with such generosity to realise this outcome.