Monday 29 February 2016

LALOR CERAMIC MURALS

In late December 2015, the final two of four murals were installed as part of the Peter Lalor Walkway Redevelopment and Graffiti Mural Project, in Lalor (an outer Northern suburb). Entitled ‘Lalor Conversation’, the four ceramic panels celebrate the rich history and development of Lalor and cover an area in Peter Lalor Walkway that was routinely tagged with graffiti. The City of Whittlesea partnered with the Victorian Government’s Community Crime Prevention Unit and the Lalor Traders Association in an effort to prevent future graffiti and improve the appearance and amenity of Peter Lalor Walk.

Artist Bern Emmerichs was commissioned to design and produce a mural that celebrates the rich cultural history and development of the suburb of Lalor. Ms Emmerichs is an accomplished ceramic artist and painter who has exhibited widely throughout Australia and overseas. Her work is held in major State and National collections. This work now connects the two sections of the shopping precinct and enhances the community feel of the area.

Mural panel one pays respect to the Wurundjeri Willum Clan, the Traditional Owners and first peoples of this land. It portrays William Barak and his sister Annie Borat, their culture and people, and their important role in the history of this place.

Panel two celebrates Peter Lalor, after whom the walkway and suburb are named. It honours his achievements at the Eureka Stockade and his contribution to democracy in Australia.

The third mural panel represents the German immigrant families of the 1850s who settled the land and established the original farms in Westgarthtown - the area now known as Lalor and Thomastown.

The fourth and final panel represents those who settled in the area through the assistance of the Peter Lalor Homebuilding Cooperative Society and the culture and diversity of the contemporary Lalor community.

This public art will bring a sense of history and pride to the community and will hopefully keep the Walkway a safe and vibrant space for years to come. The arts are an important ingredient in developing community wellbeing, place making and economic prosperity. I for one certainly appreciate these wonderful pieces of art and local history documentation and always spend sometime admiring them when I pass by.

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Monday Murals meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Through my Lens meme.









9 comments:

  1. Lots of rich history displayed there, so nice.
    Ann

    ReplyDelete
  2. Never saw anything like that. Amazing what can be done with a plain old wall.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am particularly interested in the homebuilding cooperative. "A group of passionate people responded to the housing crisis by forming the housing co-operative. Using modernist building techniques, such as prefabrication, members built homes for a community of 800 people, establishing the suburb of Lalor. Named after the leader of the Eureka Rebellion, the Peter Lalor Home Building Co-operative Society was a grass roots organisation established to help its members realise the great Australian dream of home ownership." And I had never heard of it!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have seen murals like those in Budapest, and liked them a lot. These here are great too. Thank you so much for sharing with "Through My Lens"

    Mersad
    Mersad Donko Photography

    ReplyDelete
  5. Fascinating. I know so little about the First Peoples of Australia. Thanks for contributing to this week's Monday Mural.

    ReplyDelete
  6. A beautiful slice of history shared. Going to miss our Smiling Sally. She lost her battle with COPD yesterday. It will be sad without her here. I am going to post some blue each Monday at my blog . I am not a technical person so I would not make a good hostess of this fun filled meme. Sally was one of a kind. She will be deeply missed. :-(

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a wonderful surprise for me to see this!!!! A big Thanks to all the fabulous people at Whittlesea council and the local community who made it all possible and were such a great team to work with.This shopping strip in Lalor is an absolute gem!! A Melbourne secret, I fully recommend to anyone who hasn't been!! Bern Emmerichs

    ReplyDelete

Feel free to comment, I'd really like to hear from you!
Please do not use this comment box to advertise your goods and services!