The Busting Cancer Project

The Busting Cancer project.
(credit: Busting Cancer)

The Busting Cancer project is a unique arts workshop for breast cancer survivors in Western Sydney, Australia. The project began almost five years ago and is the brainchild of Australian artists Cassandra Hard-Laurie and Niki Read. The two women collaborated with local non-profit The GroundSwell Project to form the arts workshop, which creates “unique body cast sculptures” of women who’ve lived with cancer “[to] represent the experience of [the illness] and help raise awareness in the community.” The result is a project both intimate and empowering — unifying yet entirely celebratory of each woman’s unique journey.

Credit: Busting Cancer

“We’ve had these absolutely courageous women [involved in the project],” says Read about Busting Cancer’s results, “[they’ve been] willing to share with us their bodies; bodies that have been through amazing transformations through cancer. It’s a real privilege, actually. The casts were fun to make, and beautiful.”

“We’ve had these absolutely courageous women [who’ve been] willing to share with us their bodies; bodies that have been through amazing transformations through cancer.”

–Niki Read of the Busting Cancer Project

It takes a great amount of mental and physical endurance to go up against cancer. On one hand, fighting the often terminal illness becomes a group effort made by family members, doctors, friends and neighbors – yet, through all the efforts of others, it remains a highly personal journey. There’s an unabashedness that’s thus very important with the Busting Cancer project, and it’s spawned from their decision to use a raw, beautiful vehicle for self-expression: the human body.

“There’s an unabashedness that’s thus very important with the Busting Cancer project, spawned from their decision to use a raw, beautiful vehicle for self-expression: the human body.”

The process is more or less as follows: with the help of the workshop artists, a woman reclines to make a mold of her body’s core with plaster. Once the material has dried, the mold serves as an expression of the love, frustration, pain and hope that has manifested inside the women during their experiences.

Credit: Busting Cancer

The ‘busts’ have been collectively exhibited in the Penrith Regional Library Art Everyday exhibition, and at the Breast Cancer Institute’s annual breakfast. If you’re interested in creating a collection of busts to raise cancer awareness in your community, e-mail Niki Read your questions at niki@thegroundswellproject.com. It’s a joy to see a project that fosters community and creativity amongst women who’ve battled against breast cancer—why not help that community grow?

What do you think about the Busting Cancer project? We look forward to your comments below.

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