An Artwork You’re Supposed to Draw On: Year 11 Students Bring Interactive Art to Bialik College

What happens when an artwork isn't finished until everyone else has had their say?

At Bialik College in Melbourne, Year 11 Art Creative Practice students are turning a familiar rule on its head. Instead of asking people to look at an artwork without touching it, they're inviting the School community to become part of the creative process.

Their latest project, Before I…, is a portable, interactive artwork designed to travel around Bialik College, collecting the thoughts, aspirations and experiences of students, staff and community members along the way.

And yes, you're actually allowed to write on it.

Art That Starts a Conversation

Inspired by contemporary artist Candy Chang, whose participatory artworks explore human connection and shared experiences, Bialik's Year 11 students are developing an interactive cube that invites people to pause, reflect and contribute.

The concept is simple but powerful: an artwork that grows and changes through the participation of others.

As Before I… moves around the School, members of the Bialik community will be invited to share their aspirations, experiences and feelings directly on its surface.

Each contribution will become part of something bigger, transforming the cube into a collective expression of the people who make up the School community.

Rather than creating an artwork to be admired from a distance, students are creating one that invites conversation, connection and participation.

Developing Creativity, Collaboration and Critical Thinking Through VCE Art

At Bialik College, creative learning extends beyond developing technical artistic skills. Through VCE Art Creative Practice, students have opportunities to explore ideas, experiment with contemporary artistic approaches and consider how art can engage with the world around them.

The Before I… project encourages Year 11 students to think beyond the traditional boundaries of the classroom or gallery.

Creating an interactive artwork requires students to make decisions together, consider different perspectives and think carefully about how others will experience and contribute to their work.

It also challenges a conventional idea of artistic ownership. What happens when the artist creates the starting point, but the audience helps shape the final outcome?

For students, the experience provides a practical opportunity to develop collaboration, creative problem-solving and decision-making skills while exploring the role of contemporary art in society.

Bringing the Bialik Community Into the Creative Process

One of the most meaningful aspects of Before I… is that its final form cannot be determined by the students alone.

Every person who contributes will leave something behind: a thought, a hope, an experience or a moment of reflection.

As the cube travels around Bialik College, it will gradually become a record of different voices and perspectives, revealing the connections that exist within the wider School community.

It's a reminder that creativity doesn't always have to be an individual pursuit. Sometimes, the most interesting ideas emerge when people are invited to contribute something of themselves.

And sometimes, an artwork can do more than express an idea. It can bring people together.

An Artwork That Belongs to Everyone

The Before I… project demonstrates how learning through the arts can connect creative expression with communication, collaboration and community engagement.

For Bialik's Year 11 Art Creative Practice students, it's an opportunity to explore what happens when an artwork moves beyond the classroom and becomes something a community collectively creates.

For once, writing on the artwork isn't vandalism. It's the assignment.