A portrait alone could never tell a person’s entire story.
Concept artist and photographer David Mullins’ Faces of Wyndham project has proved it can be a powerful way to start telling it.
Since starting the completely self-funded venture in 2019, Mullins has taken the portraits of 100 Wyndham residents, many of whom decided to wear the traditional clothing of their birth or ancestral countries.
After making a 3D model of the Point Cook Pop Up Park for Cr Susan McIntyre and CoLocal founder Sara Mitchell in their bid to make the case for the space, learning of the suburbs’ 160 cultures planted the idea in his mind.
“Being shy I thought this would never happen and I put the idea to Sara over lunch and she said just do it you’ll learn along the way,” Mullins said.
“It was a very slow process in the beginning – it took months for the first person to say yes.”
Having lived in the general area since 1993, he has seen Point Cook develop from paddocks to one of Australia’s biggest suburbs and a patchwork of people.
“I wanted to do a snapshot of what Wyndham looks like as people, so that is my take on it,” he said.
“We accuse migrants of not assimilating, but I didn’t get to know all these different cultures without putting myself out there.
“I have learned so much and am a better person for it, I believe.”
The exhibition will run across the Tarneit Community Learning Centre, Saltwater Community Centre and Dianella Community Centre from 27 November to 22 January.
The opening night is on Saturday 29 November.
