IT’S been 16 years in the making.
Since moving from England to Australia in 2010, artist Rachel Riggs has been itching to make an interactive adventure for kids about the elements of nature.
As with most things, life, art and taxes got in the way, but Riggs has finally realised her vision with a recycled paper world at the Cockburn Wetlands Centre this weekend (July 11-12).
“I think I had the urge to do it because everything in nature is very powerful here and part of who we are,” Riggs says.
“Elemental celebrates the wonder of the beautiful natural environment we live in through children’s eyes and their creativity.
“It’s been so rewarding collaborating with local families with an incredible artist team, to create all kinds of recycled paper artworks.
“Every area has ‘Creation Stations’ to build what you can imagine, with local artists facilitating creative play and sensory engagement.”
• Kids help make the Elemental world from recycled paper.
A bit like Super Mario, the paper world is divided into four eco kingdoms.
In Earth, musician Jack Collard makes a garden of flowers, fruit and vegetables, with storytelling, puppets and percussion.
Poet Lakshmi Kanchi hosts Water with whirlpools, swim-with-fish wallpaper waves, and wetland poems.
Fire is Riggs’ domain—where kids get to create shadow puppets and tell stories in a fiery cave.
Last but not least is Air with artist Kate Hannah—children can fly a kite or a paper plane over a rainbow and wave their flag in the clouds.
“Everything is made with paper, recycling our throwaways into a paper world adventure with colour and pattern,” Riggs says.
“During term two, families have been creating and experimenting with different kinds of paper, working with local artists and making together, to transform the Wetlands Centre.”
Riggs has a deep connection with the surrounding Beeliar Wetlands. A few years ago, she was part of the passionate grassroots campaign that stopped the Roe Highway extension ploughing through the thriving conservation reserve.
“Seeing the land being cleared, trees bulldozed, was such an emotionally confronting experience,” she told the Chook.
“I’m proud to have been a tiny part of the power of community to save these beautiful wetlands from environmental and cultural destruction.”
Her art is often steeped in the local environment, culture and history.
For her 2025 exhibition Between the Devil & the Deep C, she explored the swirling relationship between the sea and femininity.
The ocean has played a big part in Riggs’ life—she has Maltese heritage, grew up in the English seaside town of Blackpool, and now lives beside Fremantle.
Elemental was a collaboration between Riggs and Rickeeta Walley, Jack Collard, Lakshmi Kanchi, Kate Hannah and Roe Kanchi.
It’s part of the Home program—weekly creative workshops for families with young children made in collaboration with local WA artists.
Elemental is on 10am-12pm and 1pm-3pm each day at the Cockburn Wetlands Centre, 184 Hope Road, Bibra Lake this weekend. Tix at events.humanitix.com. For more info see thewetlandscentre.org.au.
by STEPHEN POLLOCK