Blooming Now Respect Mural

[Start transcript]

[Music]

[Joanne Mott]

I hope that people that participated in the project walk past and feel a sense of belonging and a sense of connection to the project about respecting women. And also, when they see the figure of the woman after making their hand drawing or artwork, seeing it up there, part of, you know, another almost a thousand hands up on the wall forming this really strong empowered image of a woman. Then yeah, they'll feel proud.

[Ella Gvildys]

The inspiration of this project was to acknowledge the culture of respect from campus and past RMIT campus. It's about acknowledging where we've come from, where we want to be and really taking active steps to be that change, to be a better human. And to create that culture of respect and belonging together as a community.

[Joanne]

I first got the idea for the artwork and saw hands. Because hands are such a rich symbol. Traditionally, a symbol of support, connection, solidarity. So, when I started thinking about hands as a symbol, I saw many of them. And then, I thought it would be great to have people draw around their own hand and be able to contribute them and put them all together. So, it would be an image of like hundreds and hundreds of hands all in support.

[Ella]

The creative sort of stories that we've heard throughout the project has been really heart-warming. Through people creating connections of each other by creating their handprints, by literally leaving their mark and collaborating into the mural project. It's kind of dissolved those lines where it's not a you thing, it's not a me thing, it's an us thing. And that's been a really important beating heart of the project.

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