How many of us have seen some unsightly graffiti at our local or even not so local train stations? I remember the last time my late grandmother came to visit, she was surprised at the numerous graffiti that “decorated” the walls outside of train stations, some shop walls and sometimes even the neighbourhood brick fences. I wasn’t so surprised, and at times, there is the odd graffiti that actually did look good, pity it wasn’t something that was commissioned. For someone who came from Singapore, especially someone like my grandmother who wasn’t exposed to such liberal fancies, it would be a total culture shock. If you haven’t been there, let me explain why. It’s CLEAN – as in STERILE clean. While that can be good in a way, sometimes I think it is a tad bit too sterile.
One station in Melbourne has decided to make a change to all the unsightly graffiti that we see around the train station areas. If you ever got the chance to check out the underpass over at Bentleigh’s Patterson station, be sure to stop and actually take in all the lovely colours and textures that adorn the walls. Thanks to local artist and mosaic expert, Pamela Irving, Bostik and more than 750 local and international community groups, the underpass is now decorated with beautiful, artistic and colourful mosaic creations. If you looked closely, you might even spot a few celeb faces on the mural! There’s Barack Obama, Julia Gillard and you wouldn’t be able to miss the Luna Park face amongst the 550 creations.
Stationary Faces over at Patterson Station
The mural named, “Stationary Faces”, that took around 18 months to create, was revealed last Sunday, the 4th March 2012. At the “revealing” ceremony, The Zamponistas graced the ceremony with lovely folk style music, blowing their wooden flutes (I’m sure there’s a more technical name for it) and banging their drums in their colourful costumes to match the colourful mural. Even they had a hand in creating some of the mosaics that were featured on the wall!
I thought this was a great idea not only to spruce up an otherwise dull environment but a great way for the community to band and work together to beautify their area. Maybe other areas in Melbourne could do the same, not necessarily with mosaics, but even graffiti can look beautiful when done nicely and not just random tags. A great way to keep young fingers and hands busy doing a good thing!
