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Circus of Dreams

© Jo Murphy

I am very lucky to have actually met with Hervé Carlos from Jackal Innovations this morning!

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(Image by Lee Skubiszewski.)

Hervé told me all about the amazing interactive mural that he helped sponsor two years ago in Brisbane at the Mater Hospital.

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Hervé teamed with Gerard Maillé, the principal designer and artist for the Circus of Dreams project, as well as Guy Humphries, who had a creative input and helped to construct the 3D images and ensured the panels were fastened to the walls.

"As you can imagine, a lot of people had input into the designs," commented Hervé.

It has been an impressive partnership, indeed!

The environment that welcomes children, parents and visitors as they enter this play - activity area is quite inspiring. It has a spontaneously heart-lifting and healing effect. The mural is huge! It stretches for 85 metres around a play area and is 3 metres high. Some aspects open up to the sky so that it has a light and breezy atmosphere.

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You can see the juxtaposition of painted and sculptural effects. What child wouldn't be delighted to be given the opportunity to play in a space like this?

"Children can not only look but touch and create their own imaginative games using the mural as their muse with little peep holes, doors and windows that open and close, movable magnetic fish, a mobile clown band and even paper maché characters that add a whole new dimension."

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The success of the project and the potential of Art Therapy and therapeutic use of environment is so great, that the Mater Trust has now decided they would like to move on to new projects. This is why Hervé called me and asked if I would like to talk to him about the next phase of the project. There is a new fundraising initiative afoot! If you would like to give to this project and help the children of Brisbane who have cancer - a project called Children's Cancer Art Project is now opened. You can call the Mater Trust at any time to donate at (07) 38408000 or Donate Online--it is so convenient and easy. When you do, make sure that you say that you are donating to the Children's Cancer Art Project.

Drop back from time to time, as I will be writing about this project quite often. Perhaps it will warrant a whole topic of its own. I expect that might happen in the near future.