NIRIN at Home: Mixed Media Artwork

This NIRIN at Home activity is inspired by Tennant Creek Brio's installations, We are the Living History at Cockatoo Island and Gangsters of Art at Artspace.

In the creation of their work, the Tennant Creek Brio artists use an interplay of influences including Aboriginal desert traditions, abstract expressionism, action painting, found or junk art, street art and art activism.

This activity encourages you to use found objects from home, such as recycled tissue boxes, cardboard boxes, toilet paper rolls and paper, along with coloured pencils, markers and paint to decorate your artwork.

Found objects and recycled materials. For example, cardboard boxes, toilet paper rolls, bottles and containers
Paint, coloured pencils, textas (i.e. markers) and other drawing materials to decorate your artwork

1. Gather your materials. Are they small or big? Can you draw on the surfaces of the items? Can you cut them into different shapes and sizes?
2. Use your imagination and think of how your materials could be formed into creative projects. A square box could become a house, bottle tops could be wheels on a car...
3. In the photos below, you can see that Tennant Creek Brio use a lot of paint in their works. Their found objects are canvases for them to paint on. Can you paint or draw on your creations? Will you decorate them? Will you write messages on them?

We’d love to see how you use these resources at home. Post your stories and photos with the hashtag #NIRINatHome.

Find more inspiration with Reverse Garbage!
Head to Sydney's Reverse Garbage's website for some inspiring DIY home projects that you can create from recycled materials around your home.