Art for Social Impact
Since 2014, Taxi has increasingly turned its expertise to longer-term social impact works that address big issues through deep community engagement.
Taxi works closely with partners and communities to determine key needs and messaging. Specialising in creating high quality interactive performances, videos and visual artworks that relay complex concepts in immediate, accessible and humorous ways.
Evaluations of these projects have shown our methods to be very successful in engaging audiences and disseminating clear messages.
Together we can discover how best to communicate with your specific community.
BUTTERFLY HOUSE
An arts-led biodiversity project featuring a stunning interactive kinetic installation, community artworks, education and widespread butterfly habitat plantings. In collaboration with RMIT Aeronautical Engineering Department and lead artist Gabrielle Panaanen.
CRAFT YOUR OWN BUTTERFLY AND MAGICALLY RELEASE IT INTO AIR CURRENTS, TO JOIN HUNDREDS OF OTHER SWIRLING BUTTERFLIES
Celebrating the miracle of flight and metamorphosis. The Butterfly House brings the systems of nature into the city to highlight our connection and shine a light on the wonder of butterflies, and caterpillars, and the importance of insects for our survival. A salute to all the insects who pollinate our food and which feed our birds, lizards, marsupials, and mammals.
Meet the Butterfly Architect who whispers butterflies into being from discarded materials and the Butterfly Keeper who is responsible for making sure daily butterfly quotas are made so the birds and marsupials won’t go hungry.
Take a butterfly habitat seedling home to put in your garden and wait for the real butterflies to arrive.
FRONT YARD FROLICS
Cant go to the party? We’ll bring the party to you!
The Zebra’s host socially distanced street party’s that get people laughing, dancing, and meeting their neighbours.
Front Yard Frolics transforms the post lockdown wobblies into a live celebration of connection and care, nurturing a sense of community between neighbours and the local community at a time of great change and unrest.
UNSPOKEN
A touring project opening conversations about end of life choices aimed at the aging, and their families.
The manner in which we depart this earth is rarely of our choosing. However, we have choices about how we navigate our declining years that many of us are unaware of.
Communicating and discussing the paradoxes and complexities that face us as we age, encourages us to be pro-active and plan for what may lie ahead.
Unspoken is a performance and a conversation. It deals with the difficult reality of these issues authentically and humourously. Discussions sit alongside workshops, activities and information run by COTA.
Toured to 20 Victorian venues in 2016-17
Partners:
HEALTH ISSUES CENTRE (HIC) and COUNCIL ON THE AGING (COTA)
Funded by Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS)
ZOOS VICTORIA
Works Created for Fighting Extinction campaigns include:
ZZ RADIO and ZEBRAS commissioned for Beads for Wildlife and National Geographic Weird But True exhibition.
BANDICOOTS commissioned for Eastern Barred Bandicoots awareness campaign.
CATS commissioned for Safe Cats, Safe Wildlife.