The MIC Walking Billycan Project is year long contemporary arts project being developed and delivered by Arts Front in partnership with the Montessori International College (MIC) during 2019. The project forms part of Feral Arts’ Arts, Creativity and Education Futures program.

Lead artist Nicole Voevodin-Cash has developed a means of creating beautiful, individualised drawings by suspending a pen over a piece of paper in an ordinary Billycan. Everyday movements people make with their Billycan (walking, running, dancing, playing) are captured as pen strokes. The drawings created are all unique and the process of creating them - through simple actions such as going for a walk - provide accessible and inclusive opportunities for conversation, thinking, connection with the natural environment and reflection.

The MIC Walking Billycan Project will actively involve the 400 students and teachers who make up the MIC school community in the creation of a unique shared artwork to which everyone contributes (equally). It will explore the relationship between the uniqueness of the individual and the community in the broader context of international human rights. The project combines ‘low tech’ and ‘high tech’ elements. 

The final outcome of the MIC Walking Billycan Project will be a unique, interactive digital exhibition designed for both large scale projection and screen level engagement. The work will enable the viewer to play with the drawings and text reflections using a custom interface and controller.

During Term 1 2019, Nicole worked each Friday with students from the Adolescent School to experiment with Billycan drawing process and its use at MIC. She continued to develop and adapt the Billycan drawing technology.

Also during term 2, Feral Arts further developed the Arts Front platform (v2.artsfront.com) to enable all MIC students and staff to have their own profiles to manage their Billycan drawings and contribution to the MIC Walking Billycan Project.