Alwin Reamillio
Visual Arts
The Thuringowa Helicopter Project
The Thuringowa Helicopter Project enters its second phase Trans-State-Bayanihan as it makes a flight
path through communities across Australia.
Reamillo is a Philippine-born Australian artist whose community collaborations aim to actively invoke the Filipino practice of Bayanihan; community solidarity and cooperation stemming from the traditional practice of invoking collective voluntary participation to literally lift and relocate a community member’s bamboo dwelling.
Bayanihan challenges and transforms the negative effect of so-called ‘crab mentality’, a cultural habit of disparaging and pulling others down, like crabs trapped in a container. The project’s interactive and collaborative process generates networks and cross-cultural links within communities and allows exchange of artistic and cultural expression between individuals, communities and diverse regions of Australia.
The Thuringowa Helicopter enables movement- lifting an individual or community, allowing movement from one place to another. Like the dragonfly, the helicopter’s wing movement allows upward, linear, lateral and forward movement, enabling mobility, travel and directional change beyond obstacles.
The 4-metre hybrid helicopter made with mud crab shells, bamboo and found materials was constructed during an artist-in-residence program with Alwin Reamillo at Pinnacles Gallery, North QLD.
More than 1000 community volunteers, including artists, school students, members of the Filipino community, recent migrants, refugees, local children and families have already contributed to the project. Materials will continue to be ‘hunted’ from local surrounds as people from diverse backgrounds are ‘gathered’ to participate in the continued creation of a swarm of mini ‘peace’ helicopters.
Ideas, experiences and found materials are combined and transformed into something new, and transferred to new locations around Australia. This act of transformation and transference propels new and positive ways of connecting and creating communities.
Reamillo is a Philippine-born Australian artist whose community collaborations aim to actively invoke the Filipino practice of Bayanihan; community solidarity and cooperation stemming from the traditional practice of invoking collective voluntary participation to literally lift and relocate a community member’s bamboo dwelling.
Bayanihan challenges and transforms the negative effect of so-called ‘crab mentality’, a cultural habit of disparaging and pulling others down, like crabs trapped in a container. The project’s interactive and collaborative process generates networks and cross-cultural links within communities and allows exchange of artistic and cultural expression between individuals, communities and diverse regions of Australia.
The Thuringowa Helicopter enables movement- lifting an individual or community, allowing movement from one place to another. Like the dragonfly, the helicopter’s wing movement allows upward, linear, lateral and forward movement, enabling mobility, travel and directional change beyond obstacles.
The 4-metre hybrid helicopter made with mud crab shells, bamboo and found materials was constructed during an artist-in-residence program with Alwin Reamillo at Pinnacles Gallery, North QLD.
More than 1000 community volunteers, including artists, school students, members of the Filipino community, recent migrants, refugees, local children and families have already contributed to the project. Materials will continue to be ‘hunted’ from local surrounds as people from diverse backgrounds are ‘gathered’ to participate in the continued creation of a swarm of mini ‘peace’ helicopters.
Ideas, experiences and found materials are combined and transformed into something new, and transferred to new locations around Australia. This act of transformation and transference propels new and positive ways of connecting and creating communities.
