[Recap] Australia Day Art Crawl & Photowalk

[PaulPavlinovich]

On January 26th commonly known both as Australia Day where the nation celebrates coming together Melbourne Local Guides held a two part photo walk from the new Westside Artcade via various street art nearby organised by @PaulPavlinovich then onto a much longer walk organised by @Terrycorb .

For a change I remembered to get a group photo but somehow managed to not put myself in it lol. Even though it was a cold miserable wet day our first big photowalk for the year, and the first since the ill fated 2020 had a great turn out of old and new faces from left to right are Greg; Penny; Adam; Daniel; Paul (the other one); Frank; Somi; Terry; Alvin and Ananda. You can’t see Kelvin and myself in the image. We had an apology from Janina.

The starting place Westside Artcade is full of works from renown Street Artists and you can read more about it in this post https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t5/General-Discussion/Melbourne-s-first-ArtCade-is-now-open/m-p/2826783

We were especially lucky that one of the group members had access to the interior spaces of a nearby residential building that had quite a lot of high profile street art you normally can’t get to see and experience so we all went up to Melbourne’s biggest roof garden to take a look.

After that we dropped into Rose Ln where we supported a small business by getting coffee from Commonplace Coffee Brewers (those of us who had not already had wayyyy too much coffee like me anyway) before starting on Walk part two.

Walk Part Two led by @Terrycorb took us up through Flagstaff Gardens into Victoria Market where we supported several small businesses such as https://qvm.com.au/shops-stalls/borek-shop/ which isn’t on Maps. I’ve added it and am waiting for “Pending” to change to “Applied” - I’m sure we all know that one :).

Of course during the adventure we hunted UooUoo’s - these delightful creates are to promote donation to the Royal Children’s Hospital but also to commemorate the RCH’s 150th anniversary with the Me and UooUoo trail, you can read more about them at https://uoouoo.org.au/ . My personal favourite is the Unicorn UooUoo at Federation Square.

During the course of our journey we encountered the annual Invasion Day protest march that conveys community concern over the date that is meant to bring us together is actually the date that the first people of Australia the indigenous Aboriginal was displaced by British Settlers who claimed Australia as their own. This year the turn out was enormous, the biggest I have ever seen with the march stretching from Treasury Gardens down Bourke Street and Swanston Street to Birrarung Marr which was a speaking mound before my ancestors took it away and turned it into a railyard. Times are changing and when the rail precinct was redeveloped Birrarung Marr was turned back to the community. Normally I am a sympathetic photographer of this protest and share it in the best light possible, but this year because of Covid I kept my distance. Public opinion is certainly changing the call to “change the date” is becoming louder and louder each year. Sooner or later our politicians will give up and change it. You can read more about the rally at https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-26/australia-day-melbourne-invasion-day-protest-rally/13092528 as we keep seeing and saying and I think that people are beginning to believe black lives matter.

Once we had toured around Melbourne we found ourselves in Hopscotch Bar on Southbank for a welcome cold drink and nibbles before we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. All in all an excellent day that rose above its dreary cold start and eventually gave us a dry warm(ish) afternoon.

Thanks to everyone who braved the cold wet start to walk with us as we documented a day in the life of Melbourne, edited Maps, reviewed places and basically enjoyed ourselves. Fantastic to see both old hands and new faces at the meetup and I look forward to what 2021 might bring. We need to be careful to not be complacent and to maintain social distancing but outdoor events are very much happening again in our city and I’m very glad to see life on the streets.

Paul

[Ewaade_3A]

I feel my whole heart pumping faster just by ‘watching’ these photos! I love photo walks and Art?! Everyone knows the bond we (Art and I) share.

My best photo is the third one. My favorite is the second, because it’s taken in such a way I can’t tell “what time of the day it was shot”.

I am very happy to see @AnandaSim face after what seems like an eternity.

Thanks for putting this together @PaulPavlinovich and @Terrycorb

[Velvel]

Hey @PaulPavlinovich

Your third selfie photo with the caption “The photowalk group milling around outside the coffee place” is looking like this on my display :

Just want to make sure, did you deliberately post it upside down like that or not?

If not, you could try to re-upload it again then

I love the formation of the first group photo. Looks so much cool even though you guys were in physical distancing.

[Ewaade_3A]

@Velvel I thought you knew Paul enough by now to know it’s deliberate

How are you, Feliciana?

[Velvel]

Hahaha… If he did it deliberately, I guess it’s a form of art @Ewaade_3A

Let us wait for the confirmation from @PaulPavlinovich

I’m fine, thanks. Weekend is coming although rain often falls nowadays.

How about you, Ewadee?

[Ewaade_3A]

Yea, I heard Indonesia has just two seasons too like Nigeria. Please take care @Velvel

I am chilled! I am going off into one of the “roughest markets in Nigeria” to source for some merchandise, I am getting my chill dose going through Connect before running off, so, no matter what happens there, I can remember all the beauty I have seen here this morning and smile.

Our president signed a bill into law three days ago that would make people go to jail for 6 months if they flout any of the Covid-19 rules, but that’s not a discussion for this beautiful Art post.

If Paul comes to tell you, he did it deliberately, you will have to take a photo of a Street Art to compensate me and upload to this Comment thread, Agree @Velvel

[AdamGT]

A great recap @PaulPavlinovich . Yes it was cold and wet but it was fun and enjoyable. I tried to take a group shot with you in it and this was the best that I could do in front of Smug’s great and massive street art. I just couldn’t get far enough back not clip grandpa’s head

Caption: Photo of the 26 January photowalk group in front of Smug’s street art on Lonsdale Street, Melbourne @AdamGT )

[Ewaade_3A]

I hope my Grandson gets to do a Street Art of My husband and I (this old and gray) some day and that people come from all over the world to pose by it and bother about clipping my 'photo head’ off @AdamGT

[Giu_DiB]

Wow, @PaulPavlinovich ,

Such a beautiful walk you all had! Thanks for sharing this nice recap here with us. The West Side Place Artcade is very interesting, so full of vibrant and colorful art! I am visiting their website now and I am amazed.

I already told @AdamGT how much I liked Smug’s mural artwork, which I saw in his post earlier today: Giant Mural by World Renowned Street Artist Smug. I also saw you there and for a moment I was like: wait a minute, I know this guy!

I also want to know now the “mistery” behind the upside down photo you shared here, is it intentional?

[AdamGT]

@Giu_DiB , @Ewaade_3A and @Velvel if you note the artwork shown in @PaulPavlinovich 's photo at the bottom left corner of his collage, is one about perspective and it reads “Perspective is everything” so what do you think, is Paul’s photo captioned “The photowalk group milling around outside the coffee place” possibly riding on that theme?

[Ewaade_3A]

I am asking my brain to calm down and process it, I think it did since afternoon. Now, you mention the last photo in the collage, I notice it.

I don’t have a straightforward answer as to whether his photo is riding on that theme, which is a huge possibility, but what I am sure of is; it is intentional. as I can picture Paul Smiling and reading through this debate @AdamGT

[AdrianLunsong]

Great recap @PaulPavlinovich ! Love the photos and for a moment there, I thought Terry was you and you had chopped off your beard!!

As for the mystery of the upside down photo, I just thought that it was because Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere and everything there is upside down. @Ewaade_3A @AdamGT @Giu_DiB @Velvel

I have to say that I absolutely love UooUoo!! So adorable and I feel like I need to get a soft toy version of it… big enough for a big hug!!

[Ewaade_3A]

You didn’t just say that; Adrian Now, what’s wrong with you?! @AdrianLunsong

the only joke I heard about Australia before now (from Paul himself) is that; “Australia is in my future”.

I am glad someone will finally bring Paul to respond, though.

About the beard, you are not the only one on that thought, I had to read the caption to verify.

[AdamGT]

I agree that the upside down photo is deliberate @Ewaade_3A but not at all sure that I agree with @AdrianLunsong although yes Australia is where it is and is often referred to as the land down under. You may have heard the song with the words “I come from the land down under Where women glow and men plunder”.

[PaulPavlinovich]

@Ewaade_3A one day you’ll get to visit and I can show you some of the Street Art of Melbourne - we can put on a photowalk for you, we’ve done that quite a few times for visitors. Good luck in your rough market. “Paul Smiling and reading through this debate” - more like laughing :). Oh one warning about Australia, everything here is a joke and if you don’t understand the joke made in a group its probably about you :). We are always mercilessly hanging it on each other.

@Velvel it wasn’t deliberate and was the right way up in the preview but flipped when posted, I figured I could just be like a bat for a while and hang around upside down, after all everything thinks Aussies are on the bottom of the planet anyway (really we’re on the top and everyone else is on the bottom - the heavy bit would be underneath no?).

It is a seriously big piece of art to capture all at once @AdamGT - don’t forget “give me a vegemite sandwich” from that song

I really enjoy the Artcade too @Giu_DiB I think the ploy by the building owners is masterful because the arcade is ready for shops but there are no people yet, so use the art to get people familiar with and talking about the building then put the shops in later. Win - win.

@AdrianLunsong lol - funnily enough my wife thought the same thing and I think Chris was a little disappointed when I came home and still had the fuzz.

Paul

[Ewaade_3A]

Looool! no! I haven’t heard the song! @AdamGT

I doubt you would agree with Adrian

I will be there for the glow, yeaa, I will play the song much later

[Ewaade_3A]

yeaaaaa ! A photo walk in Melbourne

that will be awesome! I like how I catch some “Lagos vibes” every time I look at the street photos, I will be so glad.

I knew you knew the photo appeared the way it did in the post @PaulPavlinovich and how you connect that with hanging like a bat!!! You! I won’t give up on you, it’s too late

So, @Velvel owes me.

I will think of what to collect from @Giu_DiB

[AdamGT]

Yes the massive size of the art coupled with the constraints of the width of Lonsdale Street and the constant traffic there, not to mention the need to wait for just the right moment for an unplanned “covert” photo of all participating in the photowalk, as you will appreciate made things difficult to frame and snap the shot @PaulPavlinovich . However, I think it’s a good enough shot that shows the group, at one of the photowalk stops, and the great weather we had on the day. Oh, and yes of course for the"give me a vegemite sandwich" wording, given that @Ewaade_3A might have trouble understanding the words of that particular video clip of the Down Under song, but I do have to say I do love that particular video, this one with the captions will help.

[Ewaade_3A]

Are you not just the best?! Thanks for giving me clues.

Why would I find it difficult to understand? Is it a native form of Australian English? @AdamGT

[AdamGT]

Well being totally honest @Ewaade_3A , when listening to the song I find it hard to clearly understand all the words so just thought that you and anyone else listening to it might similarly find some words difficult. Is it the language? Is it because the background music? I don’t know but anyway, having the lyrics will avoid any ambiguity or need to guess