They’re coming at me from all directions, huge menacing beings who look like they’d take no prisoners – Batman, Storm Troopers with guns pointed, the Incredible Hulk ten times life-size, his green hands reaching out towards me, Wonderwoman kicking ass,
Wolverine in attack mode,
Gambit from X-Men, and Tank Girl!
Everywhere I look more characters are emerging as local artists bring them to life.
This is neglected Tocumwal Lane in downtown Canberra. It’s a lane that opens into a large rectangular “back stage” space that is known for its boring, but frequently tagged, beige walls, free parking, and stinky garbage dumpsters. But no longer.
There had been a few legal places in Canberra for street art, and a low-key street art community for years, but the Tocumwal Lane pARTy of March 29, 2015 was the city’s first official street art project.
You have to understand about Canberra, my Aussie hometown. When we moved there in 1962 the population was barely 60,000, most of whom were politicians, diplomats and public servants. Although work had begun on creating the city earlier it was interrupted by WWI, the Great Depression, and WWII, so when we arrived the town was really not much more than twenty years old.
All the colonies of Australia federated to form a single country in 1901. Sydney and Melbourne duked it out as to which would be the capital of this nascent country. The solution was to build a new city. An international competition for a city design was held, and was won by Walter Burley Griffin and Marian Mahoney Griffin, American architects. If you google who designed Canberra, the answer comes up, over and over, Walter Burley Griffin. Pisses me off that it’s only now, researching this post, that I find out about Marian’s contribution and that they were joint designers and entrants in the competition. Marian was instrumental in envisioning the design plans for the city. Why am I not surprised that in school, and in just about every history of the city you read, only Walter’s name is mentioned? Women in history – always erased.
Okay, rant over. Back to my story. The Griffins designed a beautiful garden city. Every street is planned, every street is tree-lined, there are gardens everywhere and big areas of natural bushland between the suburbs. The height of buildings is controlled so as to not obstruct views of the surrounding hills. This is a city that was never allowed to grow organically as most cities do. Everything is planned, everything is controlled. Back in the sixties outdoor seating at cafes and restaurants was forbidden. Can you imagine? In Australia’s climate outdoor seating was not allowed! It wasn’t part of the plan. One fearless cafe owner, an immigrant from Austria who knew European cafe society started putting seating outside his cafe. He was fined. He did it again. And was fined again. And so it went. He was determined, and soon gained the backing of the people of Canberra. Eventually the rules were changed to allow outdoor seating. Thank you Mr Gus Petasilka! Hidebound bureaucrat is not an oxymoron.
But to allow street art! That’s pretty radical in a city like Canberra. It came about of course in the same way that all street art projects come about: people get sick of the cost and effort required to clean up graffiti and tagging. Canberra, a relatively small city (its population now is nearly half a million) spends about $600,000 per year on graffiti clean up just in the downtown core.
And so the Tocumwal Lane pARTy was organised. Intoxicated by the energy, and perhaps a little by the spray paint fumes, and buoyed by the hip hop beats from the DJ, I join the party and watch the artists at work. There’s a cute Spidey emerging,
and master-swordsman Link from The Legend of Zelda.
Right next to Link, this artist is working on her creation of Japanese children’s superhero Anpanman.
A group of schoolboys are focused on creating a whole platoon of Storm Troopers using a complex system of stencils,
and fifteen-year-old Faith Kerehona, honoured to be working alongside some of Canberra’s more established street artists, has no trouble matching their skill and talent. Here she is creating a huge rendition of Gamora. Gamora, for those of you like me who don’t inhabit the world of comics, is a character from Guardians of the Galaxy.
And here she is being interviewed by the press along with another artist.
You may have guessed by now that the overall concept for this shindig is superheroes. The backdoor of Impact Comics opens onto the Tocumwal courtyard and has a huge painting of Batman on it, so the organizers decided to continue the theme. I have discovered a whole new world I knew nothing about.
A lot of people are hanging out. The bureaucracy may be a bit orthodox, but the people of Canberra are cool,
and they’ve come to see the show.
Kids are loving it too,
though there are a couple of girls who don’t seem as impressed as their brothers.
There are food trucks – burritos, and burgers and beer, and some picnic tables have been set up.
Hip hop, food, beer, and art. It’s a party and a pARTy!
Here’s another little bit of information about Canberra. If you google the origin of the name you’ll read that it comes from the original inhabitants, the Ngunnawal, and means “meeting place” though there’s no evidence to support this. No doubt the good burghers of early Canberra had to come up with something and decided to put that out as the official story. If you dig a little deeper (but just as far as wiki) you’ll discover that there’s a Ngunnawal word nganbra that means women’s breasts and refers to two of Canberra’s hills. It makes a bit more sense when you know that most Aussies and all Canberrans pronounce it Canbra. Nganbra could also be referring to the valley between the two hills, or the hollow between a woman’s breasts. I want to leave a comment on every article I can find about Canberra that mentions “meeting place” and say it doesn’t mean that you knobhead. The name comes form a Ngunnawal word and refers to women’s breasts! Women in history – erased again.
There’s plenty of great art in Canberra, most notably at the National Gallery, and the National Portrait Gallery. But when the underlying energy of the name of a place is women’s breasts, female energy, there’s bound to be untamed art eventually, free flowing art, fun art. Or maybe Canberra just grew up a little. Tocumwal Lane pARTy seems to have started a bit of a revolution, and there is street art to be found all over the city now. Canberra is no longer a boring public service town. It feels as if it has come of age, with great bars and restaurants, a thriving coffee culture (both indoors and out), and next year in March the first official street art festival. Although there had been some street art beforehand (strictly regulated of course) Tocumwal was really the beginning of it. I’m glad I got to be there for it.
All words and images by Alison Louise Armstrong unless otherwise noted
© Alison Louise Armstrong and Adventures in Wonderland – a pilgrimage of the heart, 2010-2021.
I’ll join you in being miffed about the absolute omission of Marion’s contribution. That seems so insane now. Like, how hard is it to say they worked together, you know?
I also cracked up about not being able to sit outside at cafe’s. You can take this planning thing WAY too far, of course. This discussion reminded me of the fact that too often planning precludes spontaneity and responsiveness to what arises. I remember Christopher Alexander waxing poetic about old European cities that don’t have a straight street anywhere, but appreciating how they grew brick by brick and cobble by cobble based on real things and not schemes on paper per se. I think probably we need a bit of planning to create a framework and then some combined feminine intuition (which both genders possess) and masculine building mentality (which both genders possess) to riff on what is coming into being, to generate new life!
We need a healthy mix… Not even a mix. A healthy union. Both forms of beauty on full alert!
Michael
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Oh I do agree – a healthy union! Canberra has grown up a lot since we moved there in the 1960’s, and especially in the 30+ years that I’ve lived in Canada – I go back and there’s much that’s familiar, but much that has changed.
Some good news is that Marion is finally being recognized. On the anniversary of her 150th birthday. Better late than never I suppose, and I welcome it as a sign that things are changing. These days I frequently see articles/info about the contribution of women in history. It’s quite heartening to see a bit of a balance emerging. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-20/design-canberra-marion-mahony-griffin-honoured-on-150th-birthday/13171164
You’ve described much of what contributes to the charm of Europe’s old cities, and why I love them so much.
Alison
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I checked out the link you sent, Alison. Her sketches are beautiful… I would like to see them all! Very cool…
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I wanted to share this sentence from the article: “The emphasis in their design is that the built landscape and the natural landscape have equal weight, which is completely unusual for the time.” This is so true, and still true, of Canberra. It’s one of the reasons I love it so much. I can walk not 20 minutes from my sister’s place and be in the natural bushland covering Red Hill and I’ve not once have I been there and not seen kangaroos.
A.
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How lovely! That sentence caught my eye right away… seems like designing with the land around us in mind is so important!
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I saw a show on CBC about street art being a way to revitalize neighbourhoods that have suffered economically. It was eye opening!
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It’s being used in many countries now. It really brightens things and gives people a sense of community.
Alison
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I found the doc – I’ll watch it tonight.
A.
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How vibrant and wonderful! Are you there noow?
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It was really great to see it – a wonderful atmosphere. No, not there at the moment; still at home in Vancouver.
Alison
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Fascinating to watch street artists at work.
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It really was. I don’t know how they do it, especially those that paint freehand – with a spray can! Lots of practice I guess.
Alison
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The stencils are so amazing, cool!
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I thought they were so clever. I knew you’d like this post Stef.
Alison
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Speaking of the erasures of women in history, have you heard about Jocelyn Bell Burnell? I watched a video about her last week and couldn’t believe what happened to her after what she had contributed to mankind. Here’s a link if you’re interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDW9zKqvPJI
It’s very encouraging to see Canberra embracing things like this, although the pace at which things are moving forward is probably not as fast as some would prefer to see. But still, it’s worth celebrating.
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That doc about Burnell looks very interesting – I’ll watch it tonight, along with the recommendation about street art from winteroseca.
It’s so typical across all endeavours both artistic and scientific that women have simply been written out of history. Slowly it is all coming to light.
I love that Canberra’s becoming a more organic city, allowed to be more human. I’ve always loved it for many reasons, but now it’s starting to feel as if it’s coming of age. This street art festival, and all the street art that came after, is definitely worth celebrating.
Alison
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Thanks for this post. t’s been a long time since I checked out Tocumwal Lane.
You’d be pleased to know that Marion is getting more well-deserved attention these days. For example, the view from Mount Ainslie has been named after her and a NSW architecture prize is named after her. Here’s an ABC news report about her.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-20/design-canberra-marion-mahony-griffin-honoured-on-150th-birthday/13171164
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Thanks so much for the info about Marion! I am indeed pleased to know she’s finally getting her due. The same as with the etymology of the name Canberra, I want to go in and correct all the sites that say Canberra was designed by Walter and correct them. I won’t of course, lol. Ha! If we wanted to correct all the misinformation on the internet we’d never have time for anything else. 😂
I looked at Tocumwal Lane on google maps street view – don’t know how recent the images are but it was looking a bit faded.
Still love Canberra. Always will. I’ll give you a shout next time I”m there.
Alison
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;There was a lot of energy buzzing about – and a lot of beautiful people. That little ‘batgirl’ was/is adorable, but they’re all adorable!
It’s always good to witness when people pull together, stand up for things that are fair and provide people a reason to relax (like sitting outdoors!) – and work in harmony.
Seeing all of those spray cans made me worry about the pulmonary health of artists working around the world — even with masks, I suspect that the fumes find their way and might slowly affect their health.
Spoken from a nonsmoker who had a surprise diagnosis of emphysema many years ago…
It’s always refreshing to visit your posts and bask in the beauty of each image, paired with equally beautiful stories about our planet and its people. Thank you!
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Thanks so much Lisa. There *was* lots of energy buzzing around – it was a really wonderful community gathering both for Canberra people generally, and especially for the community of street artists to be able to work together. It was a lovely atmosphere.
I can only hope that the artists are not badly affected by the fumes, and also that your own lungs are ok!
Thanks for visiting. I know you don’t always have much access to the internet.
Alison
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What an inspiring post ~ the photos of the artists in their element, creating such a blitz of wonder… Beautiful work, and as you say even though the bureaucracy leave a lot to be desired, the people and their work shine and steal the day 🙂 This post is a perfect tribute to your ‘Aussie hometown’ and you do it proud.
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Thank you so much Dalo! I do love my hometown and like to sing its praises since so many people don’t think to go there and it’s really worth visiting.
I’m so glad I got to be there for Tocumwal. It was such a radical thing for the city to allow, and now there’s street art everywhere.
Alison
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Very artistic and very good.
Over here “street art” ist mostly tags, so it is not very interesting.
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Thanks so much rabirius. It was because of all the tagging that the city finally started to allow street art. Some of those artists are really talented. That 15 yr old girl is now 22 and still painting. I assume most of the other are too. The Tocumwal pARTy really started something.
Alison
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This gallery of street art is “super”!! It’s about time, reading your evolution of Canberra opening up to outside restaurant seating and street art. The 15 year old girl is my favorite story here, and her artwork is terrific. Great new tradition!
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Thanks Ruth. I really enjoyed seeing the artists at work, and glad that this event opened up much more acceptance of street art in Canberra. My thought at the time was of course they would only be allowed in a back alley, but now some really fabulous street art can be found all over the city. I agree – about time!
The 15 yr old is now 21 and still painting. I love that. She’s obviously so talented.
Alison
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Thanks for the mini-history on Canberra! I always struggle to imagine how artists manage to paint on a very large canvas, somehow able to see the whole even as they work on only the small part they can reach and see at any given moment. But when the canvas is a giant wall and they are working outdoors with spray paint cans … well, that seems nearly impossible to this non-artist! So impressive!
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I totally agree! I have no idea how they do it. I saw several with a drawing they were referring to so they must develop the image first on a smaller scale, but still transferring it to such an enormous canvas is completely mind-blowing to me. And some of them are such amazing artists, so talented.
Canberra a true anomaly. There’s no other place like it in Australia that’s for sure. But I do love it so. It has much to recommend it, not least of which is the easy access to urban wildlife – a multitude of brightly coloured parrots, kangaroos, water dragons. Oh and outdoor seating 😂
Alison
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A fabulous display of street art and artists that bring Canberra alive. Such energy, such vibrancy. Wonderful!
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Thanks so much Izzy. It was such a radical thing for Canberra, and now it’s spreading all over the city. So cool to see street artists recognized.
Alison
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Well, it’s good to learn something about Canberra, about which I knew basically nothing, I’m sorry to say. So this is very informative and wow, the photos are great! You did a terrific job capturing the atmosphere. I like the mix of street art and people busy making it or enjoying it. Some fabulous candid portraits here. Also, you somehow managed to get a lot of information into just a few paragraphs, all very smoothly (as usual). I hope you all get back there before too long. Australia and NZ both are high on our list of places to go (and Tasmania!). One of these days, hopefully!
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Thanks so much Lynn. I’m glad I was able to capture the atmosphere. So much creativity happening! And clearly the artists were so excited to be able to do this. It was a pretty cool outing, and so unexpected in Canberra. It was my sister Julie who heard about it (also a photographer).
I hope we can get back there soon. It’s been too long. The far-flung family was supposed to meet there for last Christmas but we know how that turned out. This Christmas at least Don and I get to spend it with family in Montreal, then maybe next year in Canberra.
I hope you get to Oz and NZ one day.
My last (and only) visit to Tasmania I was 7 years old.
Alison
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Neat story! I read about Canberra’s creation in Bill Bryson’s Australia book (must get around to finishing that) and knew it was planned. I had no idea it was *so* regulated!
I am impressed that you know who all the superheroes are. I would not! 😛
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Thanks so much Felicity. Canberra’s such a great city, even regulated, and I believe there’s a little more leeway these days, but there’s a lot to be said about the planning. It means it’s a very beautiful city with lots of big gardens and access to nature. I love it for that.
Ha! Know about superheroes! 😂 I just did a lot of research so I could impress people with my knowledge of superheroes 😂 Google is my friend.
Alison
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OMG this place is so great! I hope I could visit this soon though. Great photos 💕
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Thank you so much 🙏 Canberra’s pretty cool. I hope you get there one day.
Alison
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