When Inspiration Strikes

It is said that the need for, and use of, creativity within our culture, has dramatically increased since the 1950s. Artists, writers, performers, innovators and everyone in between have the luxury and freedom to contemplate, explore, and express their passions, observations, and voice. They find their creative vision through their relationship with the world around them, the everyday, cultural movements, and existing social paradigms.

Like many Toorak College students, who are empowered to imagine, create, and express their ideas, our latest Top Designs award recipients found their inspiration through this process.

Alexis D, (TC'19)

Millicent M, (TC'19)

Alexis Daddo (TC‘19), was inspired by the prospect of a sustainable future in fashion, the style of the 1950s and 1960s, and gender stereotypes. Her unisex design was designed and crafted using mostly sustainable materials. Millicent Meldrum (TC’19), was inspired by stigma, and through her creative process, identified the need for fashion to better cater to disability. She designed and constructed a garment that allows people living with scoliosis to wear a brace underneath a fashionable and comfortable outfit. Both designs are wonderful examples of finding inspiration in a cultural context and bringing their vision to life through hard work, creativity, and dedication.

With the world taking another cultural and societal twist, creatives will forge the path forward, like many who have gone before them. Students at Toorak College are well placed to take on new challenges and new learning environments. They will continue to examine their place in the world, what it means, how it works, and what it feels like. Inspiration will continue to strike, and once the fog that sits over our current state breaks, I cannot wait to see how our Visual Arts students will be inspired, and what they will decide is important to communicate and share within the new emerging world we will find ourselves existing in.

Mr Dailan Hatherley - Head of Visual Arts and Technology

Digital Collaborative Piece, VCE Studio Arts