Ilana Rose - Lady in Red

Artist Statement: Local resident and professional stilt-walker Vivienne Halat as The Siren at the Festival of Women. This event at North Richmond Housing Estate provides opportunities for residents of an inner-city Melbourne suburb to celebrate solidarity in support of women’s empowerment. Built in the 1950s and suffering from neglect, North Richmond Housing Estate is one of Melbourne’s most densely populated public housing facilities. Some six thousand residents from diverse cultural backgrounds and circumstances are housed in five tower blocks. The Festival of Women features staged and roving performing arts, workshops, artisan market stalls and multicultural cuisines in a welcoming atmosphere of sisterhood. Volunteer organisers say the event also helps Estate residents engage with the wider community.