I could easily have missed it amidst the many large, bold artworks on display. It was hung on a small central wall in an art gallery near my home but it caught my eye as I wandered from one side of the gallery to the other. Its detail, colour, and the imagination, which brought it into being, stopped me in my tracks.
In a series of exquisite watercolours, a wordless journey unfolded, inviting me to imagine the story for myself. Each painting flowed seamlessly down ladders, across bridges, through tree roots and down flower stems. It was whimsical, fanciful and took me back to childhood and some of the beautifully illustrated books I’d loved as a little girl. And maybe it was that same sense of delight and wonder that transported me in the moment.
The artwork was Rebecca Shim’s final work for her Visual Arts Examination for the Higher School Certificate and was chosen for inclusion in ARTEXPRESS, a statewide exhibition of student’s work. Its size was deceptive and proved that often the best things come in small packages. She is a young woman with considerable talent. Maybe one day we will be reading children's books illustrated by Rebecca.
In a series of exquisite watercolours, a wordless journey unfolded, inviting me to imagine the story for myself. Each painting flowed seamlessly down ladders, across bridges, through tree roots and down flower stems. It was whimsical, fanciful and took me back to childhood and some of the beautifully illustrated books I’d loved as a little girl. And maybe it was that same sense of delight and wonder that transported me in the moment.
The artwork was Rebecca Shim’s final work for her Visual Arts Examination for the Higher School Certificate and was chosen for inclusion in ARTEXPRESS, a statewide exhibition of student’s work. Its size was deceptive and proved that often the best things come in small packages. She is a young woman with considerable talent. Maybe one day we will be reading children's books illustrated by Rebecca.
The exhibition itself was an inspiration. I was impressed by the thought that had gone into each artwork, using it to express strongly held beliefs or values, or issues which were important to the student. As artists have done for generations, they allowed their images to speak for them.
Rebecca said, “The rediscovery of my own childhood imagination brought about a reverie on a previously imaginative world”. Why is it that one of the greatest gifts we are each empowered with at birth, so often vanishes somewhere along the path to adulthood? Albert Einstein famously said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge”, while knowledge acknowledges what is, imagination births what has never been. It is the foundation of originality, the core of invention and the stimulus for innovation.
Rebecca said, “The rediscovery of my own childhood imagination brought about a reverie on a previously imaginative world”. Why is it that one of the greatest gifts we are each empowered with at birth, so often vanishes somewhere along the path to adulthood? Albert Einstein famously said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge”, while knowledge acknowledges what is, imagination births what has never been. It is the foundation of originality, the core of invention and the stimulus for innovation.
In fact, imagination has and will continue to change the world. I love a story I heard this week about Norm McGillivray. His father died alone and homeless on the streets of London and Norm has always dreamt of finding a way to change the lives of homeless people. One night as he got out of his car in a secure car park, he imagined it turned into a shelter for homeless people.
In what seemed like a moment of madness, he emailed the CEO of Secure Parking, never expecting to get a reply. But that Friday night as Peter Anson checked his emails, he was captured by Norm’s idea. He said, "Straight away it just resonated with me". Peter contacted Norm and they began to imagine together.
Across Australia over 8,000 people will sleep rough each night and approximately 200,000 car spaces will stand empty. Peter pointed out that most car parks have amenities and could provide a safe, secure place for people to sleep.
Together they are trialling an undertaking they have called, Beddown, with inflatable mattresses and blankets provided. Maybe Norm’s imagination has helped him fulfil his dream to change the world for the homeless.
We are all born with an imagination and its limitless. Like a muscle, the more we use it the stronger it gets. Maybe like Rebecca we can use it to bring delight and joy to others or as JK Rowling said, “Imagination is arguably the most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathise with humans whose experiences we have never shared"
... and your imagine just might change a little piece of the world.
In what seemed like a moment of madness, he emailed the CEO of Secure Parking, never expecting to get a reply. But that Friday night as Peter Anson checked his emails, he was captured by Norm’s idea. He said, "Straight away it just resonated with me". Peter contacted Norm and they began to imagine together.
Across Australia over 8,000 people will sleep rough each night and approximately 200,000 car spaces will stand empty. Peter pointed out that most car parks have amenities and could provide a safe, secure place for people to sleep.
Together they are trialling an undertaking they have called, Beddown, with inflatable mattresses and blankets provided. Maybe Norm’s imagination has helped him fulfil his dream to change the world for the homeless.
We are all born with an imagination and its limitless. Like a muscle, the more we use it the stronger it gets. Maybe like Rebecca we can use it to bring delight and joy to others or as JK Rowling said, “Imagination is arguably the most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathise with humans whose experiences we have never shared"
... and your imagine just might change a little piece of the world.
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