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Melbourne
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2020-04-11
(HIST30060) The 'Intimate Partner' Clause
For many experiencing the pandemic in Victoria, the intimate partner clause meant that our girlfriends, boyfriends, or partners were the only persons many young people were able to see - well at least legally that is. Initially, the intimate partner clause did not exist, which was heartbreaking for many couples that lived apart, facing the prospect of not seeing their partner for an unknown amount time, during an unsettling and unprecedented period. When the clause was introduced, it was a saving grace for couples. For others, it legally introduced a sneaky way to meet people inside their bubble, particularly after connecting online. I was lucky enough to meet my girlfriend during what was her first and my last on-campus class for the last two years - before lockdown was a thing. After facing the scary prospect of not seeing each other during the first stages of Melbourne's first lockdown, the intimate partner clause allowed us to spend every day for months and months between houses, happily isolating in our shared bubble and growing incredibly close. -
2021-10-13
HIST30060: My first pandemic quilt
Last year (2020) I was living at home with my parents. My mum noticed how the pandemic was affecting me mentally and suggested that I make a quilt as a therapeutic tool. It was my first ever quilt, and it took several months. I enjoyed making it so much that I've kept on making quilts ever since. This quilt, therefore, reminds me of the pandemic's silver linings; it forced me to take up a hobby, one that slows me down. This photo is of the quilt on my bed now in Melbourne (2021). -
2021-04-13
HIST30060: Pandemic cookbook
I bought this cookbook earlier this year from a local Melbourne lady. During the 2020 lockdowns, she decided to write a cookbook celebrating cooking and sharing food with friends during eased restrictions. Whenever I cook from this cookbook, I am reminded of how the pandemic was also an opportunity for many people to pursue new hobbies and interests, often creative ones, that they previously wouldn't have. -
2021-07-29
(HIST30060) An Exhibition I Created at University
After a year as subeditor, I was lucky enough to be appointed the 2021 editor of Chariot, the undergraduate history journal at the University of Melbourne. As an initiative to raise student engagement and make history more interesting, I worked with the university staff and one of our previous contributors of the journal in turning her essay into an exhibition in the university's Arts West building. Unfortunately, due to the lockdown, I was unable to see the exhibition in person myself, but the experience of putting it together from start to finish was a hugely rewarding one. -
2021-06-30
(HIST30060) French Impressionism Exhibition at the NGV
Before Melbourne went back to its fifth round of lockdowns, a friend and I bought tickets for an exhibition on French Impressionism at the National Gallery of Victoria. It was an absolutely amazing feeling, not only just being out of the house but also being able to see these famous paintings which I've only seen images of online previously up close. While nowhere near an expert on art or art history myself, my experience in working in a museum and putting together a small exhibition earlier in the year made me appreciate the carefully curated exhibition. -
2021-06-23
(HIST30060) Going Bowling with Friends
Despite the lockdowns, there were a few brief periods throughout the year where Victorians were able to safely venture beyond a five kilometre radius of our homes. On the day I finished my semester one exams, I met up with a group of friends and together went bowling at Melbourne Central. While I received a rather embarrassingly low score, we all hugely enjoyed the feeling of being able to meet up and have fun in person to celebrate the end of exams. None of us would expect another round of lockdowns only a few weeks later, and looking back, I certainly wish I was able to cherish that night more. -
2020-12-27
Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds
Despite most activities being cancelled due to restrictions, I was lucky enough to score four free tickets to the Boxing Day Test cricket match in Melbourne at the MCG, and I brought three of my friends to the match. It was actually my first time at a live sporting event, so it was particularly memorable for me. Rather scarily, we soon found out a few days later that one of the spectators on that day would later test positive for COVID-19, leading me to take a COVID test myself, which thankfully turned out to be negative. -
2021-09-17
The Census in Lockdown
The Australian Census looked little different this year. Census employees in states and cities in lockdown had to conduct contactless follow up visits and were issued with ABS branded masks for the purpose. -
2020-09-16
Sarah's kite
When things started to slowly open up after Melbourne's stage 4 lockdown we started to have a few more options for meeting outside. I wasn't able to see anyone during the hard 6 week lockdown as I didn't have any friends within my 5km radius whom I could meet with and get home again within an hour. When these restrictions eased a little I was able to meet my friend Sarah at the beach. She had bought a kite during lockdown because she was bored and had always wanted to try flying a kite. She even wrote in to the ABC Live Blog to ask if flying a kite was acceptable as outdoor exercise. This is her with her kite. -
2020-08-24
Aerobics Oz Style
During Melbourne stage 4 lockdown we were limited to only 1 hour of exercise outdoors each day. I usually do significantly more than this so was looking for activities to do in my very small apartment. Channel 10 released via their app a whole bunch of old Aerobics Oz Style videos from the 90s so I started doing those. This is a picture of Anton, who I remembered from watching the program occasionally as a child. -
2020-07-22
Online dance classes
Trying to pivot to online dance classes. Pulled my very old ballet shoes out to try to keep up with classes during Melbourne's long lockdown in 2020. Sadly it didn't really work due to a lack of space and the fact that I have carpeted floors, but it was nice to be able to connect with friends and feel like we were doing something together. -
2020
Neighbourhood walks
Some pictures of my local neighbourhood walks within my 5km radius of Albert Park, Prahran and South Yarra. Some cute and creative things that people did to brighten other peoples' walks. All taken during the long lockdown in Melbourne between August and December 2020. -
2021-08-19
What if they are ahead?
My year 10 English teacher shared this but unfortunately I don't have the original to credit it. I liked it because people are so panicked about kids missing school and so I thought this was a nice reminder that education is not just school, and success in life is so much more than an ATAR score. It was backed up when I came across the items and sign in the second photo which I assume have been made by kids and made me think that they are learning empathy and kindness which will stand them in good stead, even if they can't do long division. -
2021-08-14
F$%K COVID cookie
I bought two of these cookies to take to my friend's house when I went to visit her under the 'single bubble' program during Melbourne's lockdown 6. They're from a store called Mad About Cake in Caulfield South. -
2020-12-01
How history got me through lockdown
A story I wrote about using history to keep a sense of perspective and gratitude through Melbourne's long lockdown in 2020. Coming against a background of university job losses and policies disfavouring humanities degrees I also wanted to let historians know that their work is important and has relevance. -
2020-08-11
Nurse handover Emergency Department, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
This photograph was taken in August 2020, the time when daily and active cases in Victoria's second wave were at their peak with hospitals adapting services and protocols in response. The photograph shows a nurse handover in the hospital's Emergency Department. The red line on the floor marks the boundary of the "hot zone" area dedicated to the care of patients regarded as infectious. Staff wear prescribed Level 4 PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) of gowns, face protection and N95 masks. -
2020
HIST 30060 University of Melbourne Syllabus
The syllabus given to students of partner class HIST 30060 of the University of Melbourne by instructor Andrew May, Fall 2020. -
2020-04-01
POTUS45 COVID19
As an Australian who has traveled extensively in the US and who has met many kind and generous people over the years, watching America being ravaged by the virus in those early months was horrifying. Especially my beloved NYC. This was compounded by the incompetence and wilful neglect of the Trump administration. And so, this project - the visual smashing together of two mediated narratives POTUS45 and COVID19 - began out of rage in April of 2020 when the death count had (only) reached 100,000. Pasting up these posters across the streets of Melbourne - in a time of helplessness, of lock-downs, of isolation and of global death counts - felt cathartic. It won't of course bring back the dead or heal the suffering of the long haulers, but it was a physical act of artistic expression and global solidarity. That was a year ago, POTUS45 is gone (for now), but the cost of his administration's negligence is represented in the statistics of April 2021 that were unfathomable a year ago. -
2020-11-01
Melaine Robinson Oral History, 2020/11/01
Hello, My name is Melaine, I live in Hughesdale, Victoria, Australia and I would like to share this story of subtle community spirit that came through during the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020. I am also legally blind. Thank you for your time. Melaine -
2020-03-06
Pandemic Street Art: skubzmope says DON'T PANIC
Graffiti of a toilet paper roll and the text, "DON'T PANIC"... People were panic buying items like toilet paper when the pandemic really started to take off in infection and death rates and quarantine/lockdowns were initiated in the spring of 2020. -
2021-02-25
Jewish Melbourne
As a Yiddish teacher the plague year was marked by a shift to online teaching. Of course this involved inconveniences and accomodations but mostly I was so grateful to have a job that meant I got to stay in contact with people throughout 2020. In classes I worked hard to support students in a difficult time, but also found myself energised and reassured by the regular social contact they provided. I've chose two pictures of my classes - one, a kids class featuring members of my family and the other, a screenshot from one of my long running classes at the Kadimah. The kids class was often fairly chaotic on zoom, marked by kids disappearing, scribbling on the screen or more interested in making faces in the camera than anything else. But it still represented a weekly engagement with Yiddishkayt for these kids, who all live in the North of Melbourne and attend state schools. The image I chose of one of my adults class is from a night when there was a blackout in my street - all the lights went off and my connection cut out. I realised though that I could teach using my phone for internet - it just meant sitting in the dark! I remember a strong feeling of "the show must go on" in a time when so much else was uncertain it was important to me that every Monday evening was the same - Yiddish class with my longtime students. Throughout lockdown students have been so patient and understanding of everything that has had to change and even now as I am extremely over teaching online I am honestly so grateful for what they've given me - meaninful, interesting, engaging work and social contact! We should all be so lucky. -
2020-04-20
Street Art - commentary from the artists
This article quotes several street artists about how the pandemic has impacted their art and their messages. The direct quotes amplify their messages, although the street art speaks volumes in its public arena. -
2019-04-05
Pesach mutual aid, care packages for solitary seders!
When we went into lockdown in Naarm (Melbourne), many Jewish people realised this meant doing their seders solo or over zoom. Restrictions on number of guests meant that a seder with the family wasn't possible. Whilst at most seders you would usually have multiple people who had divided the seder night responsibilities (someone on charoset, matzah ball soup, gefilte fish, kosher wine, boiled eggs and each item for the seder plate), this night was different from all other nights. Our seders suddenly felt bare with the looming responsibility to create an entire seder's worth of food, for one. For those of us who lived away from our families and the bagel belt, there were additional challenges. For the queer jews who left their south-eastern homes for the cramped share houses of the inner north, finding Kosher and seder specific ingredients was near impossible at our local Piedemontes. I called my closest Woolworths and asked if they had ingredients for passover, "You could try the international food aisle?" they suggested, I knew that wouldn't suffice. I was grieving the loss of my most important cultural holiday of the year and the foods that came with it, when I decided I would drive to Southside, and collect ingredients from there. Knowing it would be useless to cook for one (and that I still haven't learnt the skills to do so) I decided to buy enough that I could make up care packages for other Jewish people doing their seders alone. The buba of the northside, giving just enough of everything for a table of one. 3 matzah balls, a jar of broth, enough matzah to break, hide and dip in charoset, etc. Other Jewish people contributed ingredients or made gefilte fish to distribute too. I managed to distribute over 25 packages to people joining their seders via zoom. For me, it was such an important way for me to feel connected to community despite distance, and honour pesach at a challenging time. -
2020-09-16
Jewish Melbourne
Reflection and Resilience -
2020-09-08
Jewish Melbourne
Rosh Hashana 2020 Style - Achieving Inner Peace, Spirituality & Connection: Discussing Rosh Hashanah in a Covid world, the redefining of Rosh Hashanah 2020 Style! As part of our focus on Spiritual Health, the JCCV welcomed back two professionals who shared their insights on how to make the most of celebrating Rosh Hashanah this year, and offer ideas to achieve meaningful experiences for you and those closest to you. -
2020-07-06
Snow trip before the storm
HIST30060 This is a photograph I took from the top of Mount Buffalo overlooking the Ovens Valley on the 6th of July, a day before Premier Daniel Andrews announced a second lockdown in Victoria. My extended family decided to take this trip during the first week of winter school holidays to enjoy the snow. We were especially keen to go to support the local economy as it had also been devastated by the bushfires. I recall a shared feeling of elation at being able to go on holidays together once more; however, there was a sense of trepidation at the increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases in Melbourne. When the second lockdown was announced, I remember being scared of going back into lockdown, and unsure of whether I should stay in Melbourne or move back in with my parents in Ballarat. Eventually, I decided to cut my holiday short to drive back to Melbourne, pack up my things and move back in with my parents in regional Victoria. -
2020-08
Walking through lockdown
Like many, I’ve taken to walking every day to help move my body and feel active during lockdown. I was an avid walker prior to Covid-19, but now walking has become more than just a means of exercising. Walking has become a time to myself, for myself, where I can escape my flat and explore. I moved to South Melbourne at the start of this year and walking during lockdown has allowed me to explore my suburb and become more familiar with where I live. Being comfortable gives me confidence and a sense of accomplishment that I have “conquered” South Melbourne. While Covid-19 has limited me in other ways, the restrictions have allowed me to focus on my sense of place and cementing this area as my new home. -
2020-09-14
Jewish Melbourne: NCJWA (Vic) online farewell to Lee Ann Basser
"Today we farewelled our wonderful, hard-working and dedicated outgoing CEO, Lee Ann Basser. Lee Ann has been leading NCJWA Vic for almost 4.5 years. She has been an incredible asset to our organisation. Throughout the years, Lee Ann has worked tirelessly to power more women and girls to create a better world. Thank you, Lee Ann. We wish you all the best in your future endeavours. Please join us on a special Shanah Tova Session to thank Lee Ann and wish her well. This is also a great opportunity to meet our new CEO, Alexandra Silver. Wednesday, 16 September, 11:30am-12:30pm, via Zoom. Register now https://ncjwavic-shana-tova-session.eventbrite.com.au" -
2020-10-05
Jewish Melbourne: NCJWA (Vic) Sukkot zoom event for Seniors Festival
"We are honoured to take part in the upcoming 2020 City of Port Phillip Seniors Festival. As part of this online event, a special Zoom Sukkot celebration is being organised by NCJWA Vic. Rabbi Yoni Reyder will enlighten all the participants about the traditions and significant of Sukkot; and a Concert of traditional Russian and Yiddish songs will be performed by Gregory Cveigoren and Vered Harel. “We will present the different aspects of Sukkot which symbolise we are different but also strong when we are together” said Nellie Khoroshina, Golden Age Clubs Coordinator." -
2020-09-28
Jewish Melbourne: TBI N'ilah Service
Due to Melbourne's lockdown, people were unable to attend services in-person for Yom Kippur in 2020. Instead, Temple Beth Israel livestreamed their N'ilah service. -
2020-10-02
Jewish Melbourne: TBI Kol Nidre family service
Melbourne was in lockdown over Yom Kippur and so Temple Beth Israel organised a video of their Kol Nidre Family Service -
2020-09-08
Victorian Isolation – HIST30060
The second lockdown was an extraordinarily difficult time for Victorian citizens. Our social media feeds were filled with Australians and the international community celebrating their newfound freedom, whilst we were stuck at home, demoralised, and overwhelmed with the rising cases and deaths in our hometown. This article struck me because it was the only publication I saw in this time which accurately captured the loneliness and hopelessness that was felt throughout the state. -
2020-08-31
Jewish Melbourne: CSG - Check on your mates
This is a post by Community Security Group (CSG), encouraging people to look out for each other: "Humans are social animals. We crave connection. As we spend more time in our homes, cut off from friends and family in a bid to stop the spread of the virus, the lack of physical touch can be mentally challenging. For people who live alone especially, this extended lack of contact may be particularly tough. But just because we’re physically distant from each other doesn’t mean we can’t still be emotionally close. Maintaining regular human connection is more important than ever as we navigate these difficult times." -
2020-09-26
Jewish Melbourne: Sassoon Yehuda Sephardi Synagogue - Yom Kippur message
This is a video by Sassoon Yehuda Sephardi Synagogue of a "2020/5781 Pre-Yom Kippur inspiring message from Rav and Rabbanit Hassan, for our community." -
2020-10-02
Jewish Melbourne: Chabad on Carlisle Weekly Message for Sukkot
This is a weekly video message from Chabad on Carlisle to their congregation. This one is for Sukkot and encouraging people to donate to their charity appeal. -
2020-09-15
Jewish Melbourne: Chabad on Carlisle Q & A with the Rabbis about Rosh Hashanah
On Tuesday 15 September Chabad on Carlisle held an online Q&A with their Rabbis, along with musical entertainment, for Rosh Hashanah -
2020-04-01
Jewish Melbourne: Rabbi Chaim Herzog of Chabad Melbourne distributes shmura matza during pandemic
In this photo Rabbi Chaim Herzog of Chabad of Melbourne is delivering shmura matzah to Claude Schwarz. In the period before Passover the custom is to receive hand baked shmura matza for the seder night. -
2020-03-17
Video - Toilet paper fight erupts at Coles in Melbourne
HIST30060 I have chosen to upload this article because I distinctly remember when the public fights about toilet paper begun to surface on social media. Initially, I found it hilarious. And then scary. And then kinda sad. And then eventually some combination of all three, alongside a healthy dose of embarassment at the fact Australians would behave in such a way. While I personally never felt the panic that led to hoarding goods, I know many people who did, and I also remember my housemates and I resorting to using paper towels as toilet paper for a short while because it was impossible to find in the shops near our house. -
2020-10-02
Socially Distanced Formal Event
HIST30060 This is a photograph of myself and three other final year Undergraduate students at Ormond College, The University of Melbourne, taking a socially distanced group photo before "Club Dinner." During non-COVID times, this is normally a major event for students and is one of the most anticipated events of the year. Given COVID restrictions, the dinner was not able to run as normal, but students still took the opportunity to dress up in formal clothing and share socially distanced dinner and drinks. Personally, this photo is one of my favourite to come from this year featuring my friends and I, because it shows an adaptation to abnormal times. It is, I suppose, an attempt to find normalcy. -
2020-03-18
"Take My Hand" - A Song Written On March 18th About COVID
HIST30060 This is a very rough demo of a song I wrote and recorded on the 18th of March 2020, right near the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic. Moreso than anything else, this song expresses my emotions about COVID come March 2020, namely the fear, insecurity, and dread. The first verse draws on the imagery of the empty University campus, and of the two-week quarantine period. The second verse includes a reference to an image I remember seeing from Wuhan, where a dying COVID patient was wheeled out of the hospital to view a final sunrise, as well as the videos from Italy of people in quarantine singing together from their balconies. The chorus is about the paradox of wanting physical contact but being afraid of breaching social distancing. The bridge references St Jude, the patron saint of lost causes and hospitals, drawing on those feelings of hopelessness about the rapidly degrading pandemic situation. -
2029-03-25
Ormond College Student Update, 25 March 2020
HIST30060 This is an email from March 2020, describing the introduction of strict new COVID restrictions at Ormond College, the largest residential College at UniMelb. As the document describes, this meant that any students who remained on campus went into full "lock-in" -- they were not allowed to leave at all, not even for essential shopping as per the rest of the state. This caused many students to flee campus and end up in unstable short-term accomodation, rentals, and sublet's (myself included). This email goes some way to demonstrate the impact of COVID on specific communities such as residential colleges, and on students more broadly. Beyond this, it's personally impactful to me because this email signalled that I had less than a day to make the decision between being homeless and remaining locked-in at College. Like many, I chose homelessness and eventually ended up in a sublet with friends-of-friends. -
2020-10-17
A Pandemic Through Bad Memes
HIST30060, this is a personal text reflection on my experience in the pandemic complemented by internet memes -
2020-05-17
Funny corona beer meme
HIST30060 - submitted as part of a history assignment. This meme uses symbolism in order to compare the pandemic to disastrous world events. The background depicts an atomic bomb exploding into a mushroom cloud and is overlaid with photographs of an empty toilet roll (alluding to the rush on toilet paper that occurred early in 2020), a bottle of Corona beer (a company unfortunate enough to share a name with the virus), empty shelves (from where people had panicked bought), graphics of the virus and the muppet Elmo wearing a mask, looking into the middle distance. The combination of these graphics suggests that in the future, ‘corona’ will be inextricably linked to the virus and that just saying its name will induce traumatic flashbacks. This suggests that the collective experience of wider society this year could be deemed a sort of shared trauma. It is noteworthy that the vast majority these memes, this one included, do not make light of personal hardships faced by people in order to be malicious and the events alluded to (such as the food hoarding) are not “serious” (like, for example, the economic crisis or the coronavirus death toll) but more trivial inconveniences. -
2020-07-30
satirical social commentary on state border closures and restrictions.
This satirical article by the Betoota Advocate is a social commentary on varying experiences of the coronavirus pandemic in different Australian states, specifically Victoria and Queensland, which speaks to my own experiences as someone who has lived in both states during Melbourne's second lockdown from July. The article mentions the general indifference or lack of sympathy towards Victorians, as NewsCorp and the general public have seen the second wave of cases in the southern state as being their own fault. This is something I noticed upon my return to Queensland in August, where the general rhetoric surrounding Victoria and their Premier Daniel Andrews' handling of the high number of cases in the state tended to be divisive. I had never heard of the term 'Dictator Dan' before returning to Queensland and people I knew were calling Victorians 'Mexicans', which I put down to the monopolisation that Murdoch media has over Queensland news. I saw these sentiments turn to sympathy as stage 4 lockdown set in, as Queenslanders realised the negative effects lockdown was having on Victorians. This also differed from the indifference I noticed when I first came back to Queensland, where most people seemed to have forgotten what lockdown was like and were living like everything was back-to-normal. As someone who experienced both lockdowns in Melbourne, as well as relatively normal life in Queensland, I definitely did not take the ability to travel, go out and see friends and family for granted, whilst also retaining deep sympathy towards everyone still in lockdown in Melbourne (which included many of my friends and some family). HIST30060. -
2020-08-01
Staying close through zoom beveraginos
During lockdown my group of friends stayed close through sharing videos and memes on facebook and participating in tiktok trends. We had a weekly zoom set up with people from Melbourne and Geelong where we’d talk about our mostly uneventful weeks, gossip about uni and celebrity news and little bit about Dan Andrews or as he was lovingly known Daddy Dan/Dandrews. Regularly having a zoom call was a comforting experience because before the pandemic we stayed in contact mostly by planning parties and lunches. The pandemic definitely made us closer through creating group chats and organising to play a game together, usually Among Us on Wednesday night. This post includes the tiktok beveragino trend where people have drinks with their mates and film them popping out from random locations. HIST30060 -
2020-04
Family facetime
At the start of lockdown it became clear that my family would not be able to see each other for a while. Most of my family lives in Sydney, some of us live in Melbourne, regional Victoria and Canada. In response, my sister initiated a Coffey Family FaceTime every night at 6:30pm with whoever was available. However, this meant teaching my grandmothers how to use Facebook and how to start a call. More than 8 months later and both my grandmothers still can’t turn their video on without direction and also can’t start Facebook calls. This call kept us together when we felt far away. Celebrating father’s day and birthdays and anniversaries on FaceTime made some moments more memorable and some feel more lonely. Face timing each other was fun until there was a family dinner in Sydney and you couldn’t leave the state. However, there were fun moments, stirring up my parents dogs by yelling “walkies” or “dindins” and then leaving the call, FaceTiming on empty trams and using the weird face effects to confuse my grandmother about who’s camera was whose. The call gave structure to the days spent inside and caused me to talk to my grandmothers and extended family more about the current world events. HIST30060 -
2020-05-18
Working at a bottle shop during COVID19
Throughout the pandemic I worked in a bottle shop owned by Coles in South Melbourne. Sales increased dramatically during the pandemic for two reasons. Firstly, people were worried about Dan Andrews closing bottle shops during lockdown. Secondly, because bars and venues were closing, people had to source their own alcohol. During the interim period when people were discussing what the stage 3 and 4 lockdown would look like customers would come into the shop and ask if we were considered an ‘essential service’. I would respond with “I assume we’re considered essential,” “how would you survive without booze?” and “you’d know more than we do.” During this period of time it seemed like everyone knew a friend or an acquaintance of a friend who was in politics and sharing information about COVID lockdown meetings and what the next stage would involve. The uncertainty of not knowing if I’d be working next week was stressful and caused anxiety and it also caused me to panic buy wine (most of which was not touched). Nonetheless, we stayed open throughout all lockdowns and acquired new customers. During lockdown our sales increased on cocktail ingredients such as triple sec and campari because people started making cocktails at home. During the pandemic customers seemed to have more time to chat and browse and wanted to try new products. but this could also be because they liked the excuse to stay out of home for longer. As well, Coles gave employees who worked from March to May 2020 a one-off thank you bonus for working during the hardest weeks of the pandemic. Working during a pandemic had highs and lows, I was grateful that I didn’t live with my family, so I couldn’t bring home to virus, but it was hard juggling extra hours at work around online uni and other aspects of life. HIST30060 -
2020-05-01
Street art in South Melbourne
Outside my work the council of Port Phillip commissioned an artwork on Coventry Street South Melbourne by Bridgette Dawson who goes by Melbourne Murals. She remastered the renaissance creation of Adam masterpiece dedicating the work to physical distancing. This piece developed throughout March when social distancing was fairly new and the mural demonstrates the way social distancing impacted everyday life. During this period the council of Port Phillip organised an initiative for property owners to register their buildings to have murals painted on the exterior. This would give artists work during a hard financial time and would deter graffiti. Port Phillip council also created a map for viewing their new street art installations, encouraging new walking paths when life seemed on repeat. I see this artwork nearly everyday and customers continually comment on it and smile about it. It’s a reflection of how COVID changed our lives and the spaces around us in South Melbourne. -
2020-05-01
COVID influenced street art
During the first lockdown in Melbourne the community in Southbank bonded through new COVID influenced street art. On the side of my apartment building on City Road, Southbank street artist Peter Seaton also known as CTO Art was commissioned to paint a piece over some recent graffiti. He titled the street art ‘trapped in a third dimension’, he described that COVID19 had caused fear and panic, which are the lowest emotions and he wanted people to experience and remember the feeling of love. This painting reflects intimacy during coronavirus and ideas of not being able to touch one another. -
2020-06-30
Meme: Hotspot Lockdown in Brunswick West, Melbourne
This meme was posted in my Melbourne friends' Facebook Messenger group chat in the wake of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews' announcement that certain 'hotspot' suburbs in Melbourne would return to Stage 3 lockdown at the end of June 2020. From the point of view of people outside of hotspot suburbs, it makes light of other neighbouring suburbs turning a blind eye to people who have to go back to lockdown, creating temporary walls between spaces, people and families. Unfortunately, because I lived in Brunswick West, I was one of the unlucky few in my friendship group who had to go back into lockdown. I watched on social media as all my other friends caught up with each other and took advantage of being able to travel more and go out to bars and cafes. As unlucky as I felt, memes like this one always functioned as a way to laugh at bad situations. My friends and I usually coped with lockdown through memes and jokes, characteristic of gen Z humour. HIST30060.