By ALANA MITCHELSON
A HOST of diverse religions will be celebrated in the display of a new interfaith mural at a Pakenham church in the town centre.
Pakenham Uniting Church has commissioned a two-metre by three-metre mural depicting various cultures and religions, symbolic of the diversity within the community.
Beaconhills College resident artist Rob Matheson has designed and created the work with the help of church members, Beaconhills students and local community groups.
“We’re a very different country to what we were when I was growing up, and we’re all the richer for it,” Mr Matheson said.
“I agonised over how best to portray the diverse nature of our community and decided that the piece would be a metaphor for the social fabric of Pakenham.
“It’s a high-impact image and was designed in the hope that people can view it from a distance, and reflect on how they can be more accepting of others with different backgrounds and beliefs.”
The mural contains religious symbols for Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and Christianity, as well as a wedge-tailed eagle to acknowledge the local Indigenous community; each unified with rainbow-coloured rope.
At its centre is a dove of peace.
The artwork features the inscription “Our community, a fabric of differing threads woven together in harmony”.
The mural will be presented to Pakenham Uniting Church at 10am on Sunday 17 July. Tea and coffee will follow the service.
The project was funded by donations from Toorak Uniting Church, Heatherton/Dingley Uniting Church and Beaconhills College.
