Tuesday, September 01, 2009

It's The Fort That Counts

We're Starting To See A Pattern Here

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON


It might look like faux military-style camouflage, but it ain’t. It might look like the door-and-window façade of some old fort, but it ain’t.

It’s just a view of Hosier Lane in Melbourne’s CBD. It's simply a narrow laneway, but it’s acquiring something of an international reputation because of the rich street art that has sprouted on the walls.

If you look carefully at the bottom right-hand corner of this image, you’ll actually see a segment of the footpath. That’s simply because the laneway is on an incline, and I shot this image dead straight to give you an idea of horizontal orientation.

That figure on the left, in the doorway, isn’t painted on the door’s glass surface. It’s actually the reflection of a real person. It was rainy, cold and windy when I shot this image, but there were at least half a dozen tourists and local students braving the weather and trying to shield their cameras from the rain.

That's the real attraction of street art. There's nowhere to hide - for the artist, or for the viewer.

Visit the creative team behind That's My World Tuesday.

32 comments:

Shadow said...

wow, i love this!!!

Maria-Thérèse ~ www.afiori.com said...

Very pretty. I didn't think military / camouflage at all.

Eleonora Baldwin said...

You know what this reminds me of? barcelona. Don't ask me why... the quirky Almodovar retro pattern perhaps.

Lovely, as per usual.

Ciao
Lola xx

Rosaria Williams said...

Interesting and eye=catching.

Jazz said...

I love street art. I've been taking pictures of it in Montreal for the past couple of months...

Miranda said...

Very psychedelic! I like it!

spacedlaw said...

I used to have wall paper like that in my room as a kid (actually it is still there)!

Hilary said...

I think Spacedlaw nailed it. It looks like 60s/70s wallpaper. Fun stuff. I can see why it attracted your camera lens. :)

Brian Miller said...

wow. the picture caught my eye on reader...too cool!

Mojo said...

I know someone who'd spend an entire day here -- maybe more depending on how long the street is.

Very cool!

Maggie May said...

We have houses painted over here too in bizarre patterns. Sometimes jungle scenes.
This one really does look as though they want to camouflage it!
I like pictures of unusual things. You seem to stumble on them wherever you go.

ArtistUnplugged said...

I love this wall, doesn't look like camouflage to me, love the pattern. Thanks for sharing this David!

Dimple said...

The wall art is an odd combination with the door and windows. It leaves me feeling unsettled. But then, I like unusual things, and this is certainly unusual!

DeniseinVA said...

This is a wonderful image. I would love to see the whole street of art and I can understand why it would attract a lot of tourists. I would be there if I could.

Mimi said...

What a wonderful way of brightening up a place!
Like Lola, this reminds me of Barcelona..is there something of Gaudi in it?

Louise said...

That is so cool! Thanks for braving the tourists to show us!

Sandi McBride said...

It reminds me of the Indian cloth called Madras that I was wild about as a girl...I wonder if the colors run in the rain...beautiful.
Sandi

Sylvia K said...

What a great shot! Not that that's unusual for you, David, but it is so different! I didn't think military because I lived on too many air bases in my life time and none of them were as interesting as this! Just a personal take, you understand!
It's quirky and I'm pretty quirky, so I related!

Have a great week!

Sylvia

Anonymous said...

Laneway? Never heard the term. This is the fun of blogs around the world.

Sharon Rose said...

I really like this art! It would certainly draw my attention. Actually it did!

Anonymous said...

I am beginning to warm to the idea that we are allowed to paint on buildings. I truly do dislike the random 'Tags' that blight so much of our inner cities, but the idea that mundane buildings that have no particular merit, can be made interesting or even beautiful, pleases me no end.

You're good Sir Knight, here's a gold star.

Anonymous said...

this is my type of street art. pretty cool. show some more :)

Barbara said...

Very bright and how interesting.

secret agent woman said...

Very funky building - I like it.

SandyCarlson said...

You crack me up. That is wonderful. I love this lively exterior.

Gemma Wiseman said...

Stunning colours and shapes for a streetscape! It's so long since I last wandered into Melbourne! I tend to keep to my little world of the Mornington Peninsula!

Catherine said...

great shot///and street art certainly seems to be flourishing everywhere right now...

LadyFi said...

Very impressive and visually rich street art!

Joanna Jenkins said...

I love that, although I wouldn't want to live across the street from it :-)

Akelamalu said...

That's very funky, I love it though I wouldn't paint my house front like that! LOL

Tess Kincaid said...

This is cool. It reminds me of some bathroom wallpaper in my parents' house in the '60s!

Prudence said...

The patterns are brilliant - looks like a 60s lampshade my mother used to have - must be brilliant to live in such a bright building.