Faces of Footscray

Event Information

Faces of Footscray is seeking expressions of interest for volunteers in a community arts project.

Faces of Footscray is a community arts collaboration between Footscray Community Arts and Plenary Health, delivering the New Footscray Hospital Project in partnership with the Victorian Government and Western Health.

Connection to place, culture and community is vital for thriving health and wellbeing. This visual storytelling project will celebrate the stories and people who make the west a healthy and vibrant community to be a part of.

We are seeking community members who have a strong connection to Footscray and beyond, with an interesting story to tell that embodies the wonderful community spirit of the west.

Who we are seeking:
We are seeking nominations for voluntary participants in this collaborative community arts project. Our vision is to showcase a demographic spectrum that represents the rich melting pot community of Footscray. We are looking for people of different ages, genders, cultures, professions, ability, social backgrounds, and life experiences.

Here are some examples of people we would be interested in hearing from, but not limited to:

• Community Elders and Traditional Custodians
• Medical Professionals such as Doctors, nurses,
  paramedics, volunteers, or support staff
• Community volunteers and organisers
• Sports and recreation participants and club volunteers
  such as football, boxing gym members, soccer, rowing, dance,
  cycling clubs. etc 
• Local business owners, services and market stallholders
• Musicians, writers, artists of all kinds
• Labourers and people who specialise in a trade
• Educators and people in community services such as
  libraries, community centres, child-care, environmental
  programs, neighbourhood gardens etc. 
• Perhaps you or a nominee have a unique connection to
  Footscray hospital. Were you or a loved one born there?
  Have you worked there? Do you drive past it every day? 

How will stories be shared?
Participants will each have their individual portrait taken by a local artist to be part the Faces of Footscray photographic series.

Eight portraits will be featured as part of a large-scale public art exhibition on the outside hoarding of the construction site where the new Footscray Hospital is currently being built.

In addition to portraits, stories will be told through a short video produced by a local filmmaking team. Members of the public can scan a QR code beneath the portraits and be directed to the video stories which will be published on the Faces of Footscray webpage.

Important details:

1. You can nominate yourself or someone from within your
   community.
2. Participants will need to be living in the western suburbs and
   connected to Footscray in some way, live, work, study or play
   here.
3. No camera experience is needed, just an interesting story and
   an authentic presence. We would love to hear from people
   willing to share their story, and who are happy to be
   photographed, interviewed, and filmed.
4. We will take photography portraits in a location and
   environment that people are authentically connected to.
   Therefore, we will be requesting access to participants’ homes,
   workplaces or any other location that has a special meaning to
   take portraits, film and interview.
5. The photography and filming will take place during the month
   of October. We will require a half day of each participant’s time
   in total. Please let us know if there are any time restrictions to help
   us co-ordinate.

Entries close: Monday 26 September 2022.