GC2018 collaboration to weave powerful message across the Commonwealth

Commonwealth communities will help weave one million stars to shine a light on a campaign to end violence in the community and create a spectacular art installation for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018).

Commonwealth Games Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the partnership with Brisbane-based artist Maryann Talia Pau was the first cultural and community collaboration for the Games and would engage communities in nations and territories across the Commonwealth.

“This global project will deliver a beautiful masterpiece for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games that reflects our commitment to addressing community violence and will also help strengthen cultural ties with our Commonwealth counterparts in the lead up to the event,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

“As part of the global project, Maryann will host weaving workshops around the world, establish 100 ‘weave communities’ to make and collect stars for the installation, and tour several Commonwealth Games nations over the next nine months to create more than one million stars.”

Mr Hinchliffe said the ‘1 Million Stars to End Violence’ project was first launched by Maryann in 2012 following the rape and murder of Jill Meagher in Victoria.

“This project started as a personal response to a local tragedy and has sparked a global movement to spread a positive message,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

“It is fitting that the first cultural and community collaboration for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games will spread this important message further around the world.”

Minister for Women Shannon Fentiman said the project provided a way to continue the community conversation about violence against women and take it across the Commonwealth.

“One woman dies each week in Australia at the hands of a violent partner, husband or father,” Ms Fentiman said.

“There is no place for domestic and family violence in our society and we are committed to achieving change but government cannot do this alone. This project will highlight the importance of community action in achieving a world free from violence.

“These stars are a powerful symbol of light and courage and the final installation will be a visual display of Commonwealth solidarity opposing violence against women and community violence more broadly.

“The more that people can get talking and thinking about violence against women, the more we shine the light on this devastating issue and bring it out into the open.”

As part of the project Maryann will embark on a tour next month of Australia, Samoa, the Cook Islands, United Kingdom, Ireland, Scotland and Canada and she will also undertake artist residences and present at international conferences and festivals.

Artist Maryann Talia Pau said she hoped the project would remind people that while ending violence was a global human crisis, it could be done if we had courage and worked together.

“Weaving one million stars for GC2018 is about being and connecting the light, hope and goodness in the world; every star that is woven is a commitment to end violence and to encourage the best in humanity however impossible it may seem,” Maryann said.

“Weaving transcends languages, abilities, age, sex, gender and economics, and this project is enabling us to keep the conversation active and contribute to the vision of a world free of violence.”

Stars for the project can be mailed to PO Box 3345, Birkdale Queensland 4159 Australia. For more information visit www.onemillionstars.net.

Media Contact: 0475 950 772 (Hinchliffe) | 0437 336 232 (Fentiman)