From BAA member ( & Treasuer) Andrew Gray.
“I left Ballarat enroute to Newcastle to the Creating Spaces conference with no expectations. Expectations sometimes get in the way. Arriving at The Emporium, a revamped David Jones store where artisans can show and sell their wares, I was met by a talkative crowd of people wearing their big red and green lanyards.
These folk were here to learn all about space. Space that has been deserted, space that no one wants, space that has been altered due to a natural disaster, space that can be reignited with the right attitude, perseverance and with an imaginative mind.
Some fine examples of using space which were inviting, visionary, wonderful and inexpensive were showcased. Just some bloody good ideas put together by some creative people. Disused shops that nobody wants to rent and have them offered to artists to create, yack and work. Barren land plots transformed to be a place for performance, to exhibit, read poems, play music. A dance floor set up on a concrete slab where music is played and lights are operated by throwing a coin in an old top loader washing machine. The Dance O Mat.
An old refrigerator filled with books situated in an empty lot, a place for people to meet and exchange books. Sheer brilliance in my humble opinion. Simple ideas without too much fuss that can be shared by everyone. Spaces that could be considered as eyes sores transformed into areas of fun, interest and beauty.
These wonderful ideas are happening locally in Australia and abroad. Why not the Ballarat region?”
Andrew Gray