St Thomas the Apostle Primary School, Kambah unveiled a sustainable Indonesian art installation created by teachers and students across Years 3 to 6. The project was coordinated by Indonesian classroom teacher, Zita Clifford.

Zita was inspired when visiting an exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia called ‘Contemporary Worlds of Indonesia’. The exhibition showcased art installations which led her to consider how art might be included in students’ upcoming learning on sustainability. Throughout Term 3, she worked closely with teachers and students in planning and building the installation.

“The children were enthusiastic and deep into exploring recycling and sustainability in their Social Science and Art classes, so it appeared a natural progression to absorb these ideas into Indonesian learning,” she said. 

Students collected recyclable materials for the display, which were added gradually over time so that they could see its evolution. They sourced objects like chicken wire, cotton reels, sticks, garden hoses and even pink spotted boots. Year 5 and 6 students designed masks which were added to the display.

“We made this Installation to help people see that putting things in the bin isn’t the best thing to do, but recycling and making things out of your imagination makes your brain grow!” said Year 3 student, Abrylle McInerney.

Through the process, students learned a valuable lessons in transformational change and environmental sustainability. It has inspired further classroom discussion and poems by students.

The final creative installation was unveiled to parents at a special event and is currently on display at the school.