Retake the City! - Statues and Street Corners

 by Alex in Retake the City, Melbourne, Australia

Last time on Retake the City, We wandered together through some of the best works of graffiti art Melbourne's back alleys have to offer. But theres so much more to street art than splashes of paint on a wall. Street art helps defines a city, its character, its teeming underbelly of art and culture. On a busy Monday morning Tash and I took an amble along the street corners, staring at sculptures and bantering with buskers. Let's start from the top, coming in at number two:



2. Children's Tree - Cnr Collins St & Elizabeth St
This sculpture is awesome in the way that it looks just weird enough to work. It was first erected - teehee - in 1963 by Tom Bass, and many speculate on its deeper meaning. Is it a window into the childlike innocence the city has left behind, a symbol of wisdom and joy, or a representation of pagan sacrifice to bring prosperity and growth? Or perhaps it is simply, just a touch of whimsy that makes passersby smile and brightens their day - just a touch. No one can say for sure.

....but I'm placing my money on pagan sacrifice.

What the image above fails to show you is the tall skyscrapers fencing in this small but pretty turn of metal. Its the ultimate double juxtaposition - first of a lone tree among a forest of glass giants, and then of lone tree, cast in bronze, never to flower.

1. Three Businessmen - Cnr Bourke St & Swanston St

The full title of this bronze sculpture by Allison Weaver and Paul Quinn is "Three Businessmen who brought their own lunch" and a look into their decrepit, skeletal faces is almost enough to lose your own. Okay, that was mean, but what really strikes me about these tall, thin exaggerated figures is how completely unnoticeable they are. On a busy day in the city, it's completely possible to not notice them amongst the throng people until you're right on top of them. It's actually one of my first memories of living in Melbourne - standing at the crossing, slowly realizing with a creeping horror that the three people next to me aren't actually people at all.

You can understand my mistake though, right?

Despite their jarring nature, they remain my favourite of all the many statues littering Melbourne's sidewalks, mainly as they gain their attention - by demanding none.

Honourable Mention: Warin the Wombat
Its a wombat. Made of wood. Not only made of wood, but the ONLY statute in the entire city made of wood. And he was carved on the spot from a single log - he's never moved. Not an inch.

Now tell me that's not cool!

Or just incredibly lazy

Tune in next time as we continue with Retake the City: Bantering with Buskers!
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