Artist takes kids to the Opera House in work about climate change

Glebe artist Jason Phu puts inner west kids at the forefront of his work about climate change for the Antidote festival of ideas.

Erskinville Public students Anika Gill (9), Nadia Hammond (9), Harper Dance (9), Isaac Chan (8) and Callan Knox (8) holding the pieces they made for artist Jason Phu’s newest artwork. Picture: Flavio Brancaleone

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Glebe-based artist Jason Phu never thought he’d be making ‘political’ art.

But he said climate change was impossible for most of the artists involved in the Antidote Festival at the Sydney Opera House to ignore.

In light of the student climate protests that are happening around the world, Mr Phu decided to take himself out of the work and get children from Erskinville Public to tell the story.

“I devised this project around a series of workshops with kids and took myself out of every step of the process.”

Erskinville Public students L to R: Anika Gill (9), Nadia Hammond (9), Harper Dance (9), Isaac Chan (8) and Callan Knox (8) after an art workshop with artist Jason Phu. Picture: Flavio Brancaleone

“Ethically I couldn’t force anyone to be a part of it. So they came to their own conclusions about climate change. They did their own designs.”

During four workshops, year three and four students from Erskinville Public will paint recycled objects.

The items will be worn as costumes in a procession outside the Sydney Opera House on September 1 for Antidote — a festival of ideas, action and change.

Cake tins and bicycle signs will become musical instruments and masks, and painted fabric will be turned into capes.

Artist Jason Phu is working with Year 3 and 4 students from Erskineville Public School for his live work outside the Antidote festival. Picture: Flavio Brancaleone

In the public art piece, 100 native and indigenous plants will form the numbers and symbols for two degrees celcius. In climate change, this number is often referred to as the point of no return.

“It’s just a symbol to talk about climate change,” Mr Phu said. “I want to illustrate climate change.”

The procession will float around the two degrees symbol like Chinese lion and dragon dancers. The spirits too have come out to support climate change.

“Noise drives away bad spirits and brings in the good spirits during our festivals. Noise is used during protests to draw attention. There are often bright colours and flags in processions, similar to protests.”

Artist Jason Phu following a workshop with Year 3 and 4 students at Erskinville public. Picture: Flavio Brancaleone

Erskinville Public students L to R: Anika Gill (9), Nadia Hammond (9), Harper Dance (9), Isaac Chan (8) and Callan Knox (8) have worked with artist Jason Phu on his Antidote festival artwork. Picture: Flavio Brancaleone

“A lot of people, even if they believe in climate change, have this thing in the back of their head saying ‘It’s going to be OK, it will be fixed’. It’s an insane way to think. We have to get over this blockage. That the hand of god or the spirits are going to save us.”

“All the spirits have come out to protest. They are saying we can’t even help you, you guys have to fix this thing,” he said.

Eight-year-old Callan Knox showed off the best thing he made at the Jason Phu workshops, which was not one of his art pieces, but a recycling bin he made out of a cardboard box.

He punched a hole in the top and painted the recycling symbol on the side, and boasted it had already been filled up and emptied multiple times.

The artwork was commissioned for the Art Assembly initiative.