Murals featuring local birds and Indigenous flora bring the surrounding walls to life while life-sized children’s games have been painted on the ground.
The artwork establishes the laneway as a vibrant arts precinct for visitors and provides an inviting thoroughfare for children from the nearby St Kilda Primary School.
The murals were created in a collaboration between street artist and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) artists from Space2b, with funding from our Cultural Development Fund.
From snakes and ladders to Hajla, a variation of hopscotch played in Syria, the murals drew inspiration from the challenges of keeping children occupied and engaged during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Space2b supports new migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum by offering workplace training, business mentoring and a creative outlet. For the last nine years, the art and design social enterprise has provided a platform for people to build on their existing skills, exchange ideas, increase language skills and work side-by-side with locals to further their creative and economic independence and welcome them to their new home.
Heesco, known for his amazing artwork on silos, said the idea for a mural quickly evolved into an important project involving Space2b.
“I decided that instead of just rocking up to paint another wall, let’s get some of the artists from Space2b involved and to come and help,” he said.
“We wanted to create a positive vibe and a fun spot for locals and families to enjoy.”
Heesco designed the murals and visited to provide instruction and inspiration to the artists.
“We ran it as a mentorship project and it went really well. It was a great collaborative effort and a good learning experience.
“Most of the artists had only experienced working on paper or canvas, something that can be quite small. I used to be like that too. It took someone else to show me how to work on a mural.”
The murals are in the laneway behind the Flavours from Syria cafe and Space2b’s office on 144 Chapel Street, St Kilda, between Rosamond and Nightingale Streets.
