Bridging the Gap

Overview

Bridging the Gap is a community-based arts project in the City of Bunbury that has resulted in a significant public sculpture, titled Circus Train–SLOW DOWN! The sculpture is now installed at Bunbury’s Leschenault inlet foreshore.

Bridging the Gap began in 2004 with the convergence of two seemingly disparate groups: retired railway workers and people with intellectual disabilities participating in DADAA’s About Face arts workshops.

Prior to establishing Bridging the Gap, the City of Bunbury had been approached separately by the two groups. Both were interested in creating a public artwork – retired railway workers seeking recognition for the contribution of the industry to the development of the Bunbury community, and DADAA seeking increased awareness of people with intellectual disabilities in Bunbury.

After consultation with key stakeholders, it was decided to merge the two projects to ensure that each received adequate resources and a suitably prominent location for the resulting artwork.

Goals of Bridging the Gap

Circus Train celebrates an important symbol of local cultural history – the railway. The Bridging the Gap project itself has promoted social inclusion through community artistic practice, by bringing together retired railway workers and people with intellectual disabilities. It has helped to overcome social isolation, to develop new skills for participants and to provide employment for arts workers.

It has also enabled heritage interpretation of a major Bunbury cultural and economic landmark, and has given the City of Bunbury a lasting arts asset. This asset has brought greater awareness amongst the broad community of disabilities issues and public art processes.

More on project design and process, and on evaluation and results of Bridging the Gap.

Send us your feedback on the sculpture. Tell us what you think the impact of the sculpture has been, or may continue to be, on the community of Bunbury. Email infodisseminate [dot] net [dot] au with your responses.