SOCIAL DISTANCING

In these "interesting" times we are living through, it's important to stay safe, heed the advice of experts and your government. It's only then we can beat the virus that has so disrupted our daily life.

However, at the same time, you can do much to help others in your community who are less able to fend for themselves. Please do something to actively support those in greater need than you. Your local community group, council or local government representatives can give you many workable and safe plans of action!

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme.

HOSIER LANE

Hosier Lane in Melbourne, is found between Swanston and Russell Sts, extending from Flinders Street through to Flinders Lane. In the 1920s businesses in Hosier Lane were diverse and included an organ manufacturer, a warehouse for a men's clothing company, and a costume manufacturer. The nearby Higson and Oliver Lanes had warehouses that were predominantly used by businesses involved in the manufacturing of clothes and the name of this lane reflects its association with clothing.

Hosier Lane today is well known for its bars but mostly for the graffiti and stencil art that can be seen on its 19th century brick walls. The artwork decorating the walls near number 1 Hosier Lane and near Misty Place at number 3-5 Hosier Lane have been approved by the City of Melbourne as registered street artwork. Melbourne City Council regards graffiti as primarily a product of an urban environment that should be engaged with creatively, not something that it merely takes a strict zero tolerance approach to. This engagement is seen as a diversion that hopes to tame a vigorous and diverse form of expression. By having certain areas of the city where street artists can express themselves, graffiti on unacceptable locations can be controlled.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,

and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,

and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

IN UNION LANE

Located in the heart of Melbourne’s retail precinct, Union Lane is something of an anomaly. There aren’t any of the usual bars, boutiques or cafes to entice visitors but they come nonetheless. What they flock to see is one of the city’s best known street art sites. Just about every square centimetre of wall is covered by a giant graffiti mural, totalling some 550 square metres.

Born out of a mentoring program launched by the City of Melbourne, the work was created by 50 young artists in late 2007. Since then, many more coats of paint and ephemeral graffiti have covered and recovered the walls. Although street art remains controversial in many quarters, its immediacy, verve and accessibility are hard to deny.

This is image is taken with an Olympus Pen-F camera that I was test driving. It has several cool features including some special "art" filters one example of which is sen here.

This post is part of the Friday Greens meme.

INDUSTRIAL AREA

Industrial area in Fairfield, an inner suburb.

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.

FITZROY GRAFFITI

This series of graffiti and street art is found in a back alley parallel to Brunswick Street, in North Fitzroy. It has a strong African and black pride flavour, amplified perhaps by the "Sankofa" quote.

Sankofa is a word in the Akan language of Ghana that translates as "reach back and get it" (san - to return; ko - to go; fa - to fetch, to seek and take) and also refers to the Asante Adinkra symbol represented either by a bird with its head turned backwards taking an egg off its back, or as a stylised heart shape.

Sankofa is often associated with the proverb, “Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi," which translates as: "It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten." The Sankofa symbol appears frequently in traditional Akan art, and has also been adopted as an important symbol in an African-American and African Diaspora context to represent the need to reflect on the past to build a successful future. It is one of the most widely dispersed adinkra symbols, appearing in modern jewellery, tattoos, and clothing.

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.

GRAFFITI IN UNION LANE

Located in the heart of Melbourne’s retail precinct (just off the Bourke St Mall), Union Lane is unusual. There aren’t any of the usual bars, boutiques or cafes to entice visitors but they come nonetheless. What they congregate to see is one of the city’s best known street art sites. Just about every square centimetre of wall is covered by graffiti murals, some 550 square metres in total. Born out of a mentoring program launched by the City of Melbourne, the work was created by 50 young artists in late 2007. Since then the original art has been effaced by layer upon layer of graffiti, new art and tagging. Although street art remains controversial in many quarters, its immediacy, verve and accessibility are hard to deny.

This post is part of the Monday Murals meme.

FAIRFIELD GRAFFITI

We were walking around our neighbourhood in inner suburban Melbourne a few days ago and this wall caught our eye. A huge expanse of graffiti on the side wall of a bottle-shop. I suspect this is a sponsored work, the owners wishing to cover the vulnerable wall with more or less acceptable graffiti that they had some control over, rather than leave a huge expanse of blank wall that invited all sorts of disasters.

The graffiti is well executed, although a bit samey and similar to other of its ilk. I am not sure whether it agrees with me or not. I would have preferred something more representational rather than this which is glorified tagging. You can read more about graffiti and vandalism vs art in my other blog.

This post is part of the Monday Murals meme.