Tag: Melinda Vassallo

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Artwork Inspires New Office

In early 2020 the team from STM Southern Sydney were excited and looking forward to moving into their brand new office space at Sutherland.

Then COVID-19 hit. The office was like a shiny new toy waiting for batteries at Christmas.

A mural by local artist Bruno Moto, was painted during the challenging time of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

‘The role art plays in people’s lives has never been more important, how it can bring joy and comfort during difficult times.’

The Bright Shire was created by local artist, Bruno Mota, to represent the Sutherland Shire’s culture and lifestyle, illustrating the region’s abundance of beautiful landscapes, nature, beaches and friendly community.

I wanted to bring happiness and all the beautiful outdoor landscapes from The Shire inside the office, to make a positive impact on your mood and energy whilst inside.

With the return back to work and life as we formerly knew it, it’s even more important to connect back to our Community. I hope that this lovely artwork inspires my work colleagues to reconnect back to our Smarter Community family.

#buildingsmartercommunities #smartercommunities #placemaking #community #artislife #artwork

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From Archibald to Street Artist.

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting with Wendy Sharpe while she painted a wall for the Perfect Match public art programme. Titled Women’s Empowerment , inspired by the  quote from Audre Lorde,  “I am not free while any woman is unfree even with her shackles are very different from my own”.

This artwork is the 100th artwork now painted as part of the Inner West Council’s famously popular Perfect Match programme which started in 2014. Being fortunate enough to have been involved in this programme since the beginning and the author of the book, Perfect Match Street Art of the Inner West, I have seen many street artists aspiring to be Archibald winners, this is the first time I’ve seen an Archibald artist aspiring to be a Street Artist.

Things have definitely changed over the past six years.

Perfect Match Street Art of the Inner West

If you’d like to read more stories like this you should buy my book: PERFECT MATCH Street Art of the Inner West. Available at bookstores or online. https://mailchi.mp/fbb58cf32214/perfect-match-the-book

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Bring back fun!

Those of you that know me know that I love street art, I love the vibrant colourful walls of the Inner West and I love that our street artists are getting out there and appreciated for their art. But have we forgotten to have fun?
 
Recently someone has been brave enough to get creative with Brad Robson’s, Woman’s Honour mural, painted in 2019. It’s subtle and funny and when I saw this, you know what, I laughed. It’s clever and just the kind of thing that has always appealed to me.
 
When did we all get so serious?

This year has been horrible and serious and more than ever I’ve needed to have a good laugh. There was a time all I needed to do was walk the laneways of Newtown and find plenty of humorous writings on the walls to keep me entertained.
 
Don’t get me wrong I love Brad Robson’s mural, and I appreciate what the council is doing to colour our walls with art but god I miss the random writing on the walls.
 
Bring back graffiti, bring back fun!

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Christo’s Land

Land Art is something that is pretty much unheard of these days.

This weeks death of great artist Christo bring back to mind a time when amazing art installations such as his wrapped buildings, bridges and landscapes were possible.

I cannot imagine with the environmental and occupational issues off today, any of Christos great artworks would ever have made it past the concept stage.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Wrapped Reichstag, temporary installation by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, 1995; in Berlin.

In 1969 when people were looking to the sky at the man on the moon, Christo was here in Australia’s east coast wrapping the Little Bay coastline in Sydney. Quite astoundingly his death this week coincided with the historical launch of SpaceX.

Farewell Christo, I never get to see any of your artwork in real life, but have Images of your amazing installations imbedded into my mind. I shall think of the moon now – not as a ball of cheese but a Christo wrapped planet.

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Real Aussies say Welcome

Ive been seeing these Aussie paste-ups for many years. They are the work of artist Peter Drew. His ‘Real Aussies say Welcome’ campaign started in Adelaide some years ago.

In 2013, Drew started pasting up his posters to draw attention to Australia’s immigration issues and a direct response to the Australian government’s ‘Stop the Boats’ campaign.

Recently, as an evolution of this campaign, posters have progressed to a more simplified version such as this one I saw recently in town hall.

In the series there are a variety of different faces. This poster here is of Monga Khan. Khan was one of thousands of people who applied for exemption to the White Australia Policy in the 1920s. Khan was one of many cameleers, hawkers and other traders that were granted exemptions because their work was essential to Australian’s growing economy.

Peter Drew’s paste-up campaigns have been drawing attention to peoples’ attitude to Australian identity, migration, cultural difference for many years now.

Last year Peters book Poster Boy was published. You can find out more about these posters and purchase the book www.peterdrewarts.com/

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Art matters for a healthy community

Scotty Marsh’s Merry Crisis mural now available printed on a t-shirt

Reading any newspaper or social media channel over the few weeks its pretty hard not to be confronted with horrific images of the devastation of the bushfires.

However, amidst all this sadness, artists all over the country are banding together to support the victims and the brave firefighters, offering everything from selling t-shirts, free gigs, donations from sales and raising funds by any means possible.

From the amazing fundraising efforts by notable people such as a comedian raising millions of dollars in donations, to street artists such as Scotty Marsh raised over $50,000 in t-shirt sales for the Rural Fire Service as a result of ‘Merry Crisis’ his Chippendale mural that went viral.

I have read about craft and knitting groups knitting socks and pouches for animals, Musicians holding fundraising gigs across the country, jewellery makers, screen printers, hairdressers, chefs and restaurants donating their profits.

I see time and again when crisis hits, the fighting and supportive Australian spirit shines true.

Anyone interested in continuing the support Time Out Sydney has a list of events whose proceeds will all go towards bushfire charity fundraisers. Bushfire Relief Events

Melbourne folk can wine and dine while doing their bit to help. A list of food and beverage places whose proceeds are helping the cause can be found here on Broadsheet.

Supporting each other is what the people and the arts do best.

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Vanishing Point

For years tunnels built to allow people to cross safely under railway lines have been a favourite site for graffiti.  Petersham Station subway, like most tunnels in the Inner West has always been heavily graffitied and not a very safe or inviting space for local residents who often have to use these tunnels on their daily commute.

This year the Inner West council in collaboration with Sydney Trains have commissioned artwork as part of the Perfect Match Contemporary Art Program to paint the tunnel, preventing unwanted graffiti through fostering legitimate art in public spaces.

Called “Vanishing Point” this artwork is a collaborative works by local artists Tim Phibs,
Brad Eastman, James P Simon and George Rose. The mural creates a visual journey for commuters as the travel throughout the tunnel. Geometric patterns derived from aerial photographs of the railway tracks.

This mural is a celebration of contemporary street art, the acknowledging of traditional owners of this land and dedicated team of people who believe that fighting the battle against graffiti is not won by covering walls with brown but often more successfully received when bringing art to the public while offering a showcase for our local artists.

Sydney Trains, strict zero tolerance to graffiti along with the Heritage listing of the Tunnel mean this project almost did not go ahead, being bogged down in bureaucratic paperwork. But council was dedicated to the pursuit of the project along with the determination of the artists meant the success of this landmark piece.

While openly admitting years ago he may have once been responsible for some of the graffiti in the tunnel, he is now fortunate enough to make a career out of his skills. Street art projects such as these can be inspiring to young artist considering a future in the arts.

The inner west is Sydney’s spiritual home of street art. This past 10 years has seen a significant shift from illicit tagging and graffiti to the more contemporary street art pieces being seen. This can only be attributed to more social acceptance, tolerance and projects such as this one that allows the artists the time and funding to truly show us what they can achieve.

So if your out and about Sydney – make sure you hop off at  Petersham Station and go see this wonderful piece of street art.

PERFECT MATCH Street Art of the inner West

If you’d like to read more stories like this you should buy my book: PERFECT MATCH Street Art of the Inner West. Available at bookstores or online. https://mailchi.mp/fbb58cf32214/perfect-match-the-book

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Art of Placemaking

Have you ever wondered why you prefer to hang out some place but not others?

As a city resident I often find myself migrating to my usual hangout to walk the dog, catch some outdoors or meet up with a friend.

I often try to remind myself that I should venture outside of my comfort zone more. But there is more to your local comfort zone than just familiarity. I began to ask myself what and why?

Public Placemaking is something I am hearing and taking notice of more and more. A creative way to reconnect your community. Placemaking capitalises on a local community’s assets, inspiration, and potential, with the intention of creating public spaces that promote people’s health, happiness, and well being. Placemaking is nothing new. Councils and developers have been creating these environments with parks and public spaces for years. Its only recently around my city I am noticing more attention is being taken to create these mini community places.

But sometimes inadvertently these places create themselves. Abandoned buildings and industrial sites often have an atmosphere begging to be discovered. All it takes is creative input and some art to pull together the trendiest locations.

On my Street Art tours I sometimes take people down alleyways and laneways. Places quite often many people would not usually venture. Most people are surprised at what they find. I love exploring abandoned places. Graffiti and street art amongst the harsh industrial backdrop provokes beautiful urban space. Add the smell of coffee and the lour of music and the place, transforms an abandoned crack den to somewhere even the coolest hipster would be willing to hang.

Gentrification is welcomed as a ‘cleaning-up’ of suburbs. But how much cleaning up should we do before the atmosphere needed to encourage community gets lost? Creating pleasurable public spaces is more than cleaning, renovating and infiltration of expensive eateries for the well-off to enjoy.  (Tramsheds comes to mind).

We need the diversity, creativity, inspiring atmosphere, community assets and potential for it to thrive.  

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A book or ebook?

In 2010 the Apple iPad was released. So like any good demented design orientated person – I had to have one. The whole idea of a light weight computer in a book that you can carry around with you and learn how to use in 20 minutes … well that was my kind of computer. So I entered into the tablet age with enthusiasm.

I don’t know exactly when it was that I started reading books on my iPad. The crossover from a physical book to ebook reader was a blurry process. At first it was newspapers and magazines that had me. I read mags and newspapers on the iPad and loved the ease of it. Particularly Newspapers on the iPad. No more folding over the pages getting black fingers and ending up with reams of paper, the majority of which just got chucked away in the rubbish. A waist of paper, goodbye I was glad to get rid of it.

The progression to ebooks happened shortly after. It was a moral dilemma of sorts. You see I love books. I love the smell of a new book, the feel of books their texture of the paper, their beautiful glossy cover designs and I love bookshops and libraries. I can spend hours browsing in a bookstore – I read the staff reviews and ultimately always get sucked in by a beautiful cover design – go figure. I don’t care I love the whole experience, I still do.

But then I got my first eBook. It was a free one I thought Id give it a go. And my it was fun and easy to read. I love how crisp and clear the screen is. I love just tapping the screen to change the page and I love how all books weight the same no matter what size they are. it all seemed so practical. I then travelled overseas and I could put a dozen books on my iPad and chuck it in my handbag and away I went. I was hooked.

Why is all this relevant to me now? This week I find myself without an iPad.

No problems – I can cope with this. It might be a good time to get familiar with my favorite classics and enjoy a “real book”. How bad can it be…?

I’m lying on the couch snuggled up with my favourite book. Happy days. Firstly I need a good light because the book has no self lighting – no problem. Then I roll over and I cast a shadow over the pages – damn – straighten up again. I have to hold my thumb in such a position that the pages don’t close in on themselves as I’m reading – its uncomfortable. I’m constantly adjusting the page to get the light onto it – left side then right side, how boring, I’m getting distracted.

Then I have to change a page – WTF it takes two hands to do this! I turn the page – whoops skip two pages instead of one – go back one have to lick my finger and try again, scratch about until I get it. This is all starting to bother me. I don’t know when they started to make the type so small but I’m having trouble seeing the words. My favourite book is a little old and worn and the pages have a brownish tinge to them, the type is not crisp. My hands are getting sore and the book seems to be getting heavier.

Usually, if the book is exciting enough, in any one sitting I can read a hundred pages – tonight I read 5 and Im over it! And surprisingly I’m lonely – where are my friends and what are they up to on Facebook – twitter – flickr – iMessage … I better go check the computer.

This is ridiculous but its driving me crazy! What am I going to do tomorrow night? Im scared to open that book again. I want my iPad back and I want it now (much foot stomping movements) . I can’t cope with this, I’m having withdrawals. I have 3 new ebooks and I want to read them now.

I guess I can officially say I’m an ebook reader now

Now – how many days till Christmas?

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Interesting Arty-fact #4

Slightly hidden on the side of the Commonwealth Bank, George Street Wynyard you will find this Shepard Fairey. An Internationally renowned Street Artist his works have been seen all over the world often motivated by global politics.

In this piece Shepards tag ‘Obey’ can be seen. The idea of consciously obeying verses subconsciously conforming, is the meaning behind this. Something that I find fascinating about the human spirit. Does conforming make us happier?

Commissioned by Destinations NSW this piece is one of Shepards largest pieces, and one that I am very happy so see as I walk down George Street. Go see it – it really is magnificent.