Making Art Down to Earth

"We don't know anything about art" is a phrase we often hear during the Community Arts Biennale. For most disadvantaged families, every day struggles mean that art is not high on the agenda.

But the magic of community art is that it can help people to realise that they don't need special training to be creative or to feel empowered. Art is universal. Inspiration can come from all aspects of our daily lives and the results can take many forms, benefiting all of our lives in different ways.

The importance of the community arts is bring people together, helping them bond though the collaborative creative process with a professional artist, and leading them experience the transformative power and enjoyment of art for all. Undoubtedly, the priority is not just about aesthetics quality of outcome, but a greater appreciation of the uniqueness and beauty of community.

Who is an 'Artist'?

​Bamboo scaffolder
| Photo credit: Elaine Yu from CNN Travel

Scaffolders dangling off pieces of bamboo from heart-stopping heights are common sight in Hong Kong. Bamboo scaffolding is an art unique to Hong Kong, and one that combines mechanics, trigonometry and civil engineering. Using just plastic fibre strips, long bamboo poles are bound together to create work platforms that can support workers up to 1,000ft in the air. Making these platforms takes a lot of skill and training. 

Road mark painter
​ | Photo credit: Studio Roosegaarde and Heijmans

Graffiti might be rebellious, but road marking is definitely a legal street art. Road painters paint straight white lines on asphalt roads to keep traffic flowing smoothly. In Holland designers have tested painting road markings in glow-in-the-dark luminescent paint that stores light from the sun during the day and lights up at night, as well as temperature-sensitive paint that lights up to warn drivers if the roads become icy and slippery. How cool is that?

Manicurist
 | Photo courtesy of Narmai Nan@PiggieLuv.com

Nail painting is a fashion, but it's also a type of art. Nail art involves lots of different techniques – all on the tiny surfaces of individual nails! The techniques include overlays of polish, hybrid coatings, water marbling, stenciling, patterns, textures and a wide range of colours. Everyday body art!

Carton shelter maker
 | Photo credit: Cat and life

​Stray cats are good at looking after themselves, but they can always use extra help when the temperature drops. Last winter, to help community street cats keep warm during harsh winter storms, volunteers from all four corners of the world got creative making carton shelters that were wrapped with plastic to make them water-tight and insulated with straw or polystyrene to make them snug.