Street Art In Melbourne (2)

This week's focus is centred on street art and its role in contributing to the experience of both local and external travellers.

To look into this, a fellow student Zach and I explored a famous Australian landmark known as the MCG, questioning the importance of the player statues littered about the ground.

 

Street art transforms the landscape by commemorating important aspects of a community, an example being the sporting history of Australian culture. Whilst it is not the expected spot of colour that one would typically identify with street art (the murals down Swan Street serving as perfect examples of this), travellers who encounter these statues are allowed to connect with the space uniquely. Seamlessly blending the historical significance of each athlete with a public artwork that any and all can enjoy. 

When travellers engage with street art such as these statues, they both promote the art to a wider population through a variety of social media forms subsequently drawing in more travellers, whilst also actively contributing to its evolving role in space. In doing so, each post adds to the history of the statues and continues to grow the never-ending tale surrounding street art.

In addition, the digital age has brought new forms of viewing that have both increased and decreased our ability to understand a place such as these statues. It raises the question of the difference between observing virtually and in person, comparing the aspects of the art lost through digital media with the ease of sharing to a mass group.

Below is an image of the Shane Warne statue, one of the newest and most prominent statues of the MCG.