I was recently involved in The Keeper Project, as one of 10 Caloundra-based artists selected to take on the role of a Keepers until February 2026. Each artist presented in the Caloundra community for three weeks over a nine month period with a project that extended their practice into the community. I choose to create an experience that allowed individual participants to explore flowers are a representation of self and help guide them through the process of creating their own FLORtraiture.
Over the 3 week period, 25 participants spent time with me - exploring the nuances of flowers and how their nature could become a symbolic representation of human traits and tendencies.
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📸 @cooperbradyphotog
I was awed at how different each FLORtrait was, how differently each person looked at the same followers, and how often I would stop to collect a flower, that didn't seem that much of a hero at the time, only for it to be chosen and become sentimental to the very next participant. It was a project of trust and allowance.
you can watch the film on instagram here or on YouTube here🎥 @timothybirch.smithmadden
As a Keeper, part of my role was to keep records. I logged each experience with symbolic notes that represented their experience and discoveries.
You can view the full project logs online here: https://www.keeperproject.com.
The Keeper is produced by Red Chair in collaboration with Field Theory. This project is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, it’s principle arts investment and advisory body. The Keeper is supported by the Sunshine Coast Council in partnership with the Queensland Government through the Regional Arts Development Fund.