Street ART: Conserving, not Destroying

For as long as I can remember, there has been a lot of conjecture over whether graffiti is considered a form of artistic expression, or just plain vandalism; I say that it is impossible to cram it under either umbrella, because the difference between street art and tagging is the same as painting a grand masterpiece on canvas, and scratching your name into a wooden desk with the pointy end of your compass.

This is but a taste of the beautiful images cropping up all over Melbourne's public spaces; I am definitely putting all my eggs in the art basket for these. Most of these photographs were taken whilst walking to my various workplaces; every day I see something new, and so I am never bored with this city.


To make it even cooler (well probably less cool for you guys but infinitely more cool for me), and to prove that this form of expression is often more constructive than destructive, a group of Melbourne's street artists have teamed up with Zoos Victoria (one of the organisations I work for), to create these amazing "Fighting Extinction" wall designs, in the hope that they will raise awareness for some of our native endangered species, which are currently under threat of permanent extinction. Biodiversity is important guys!

How cool! Apparently there are heaps more on AC DC lane, I'm going to have to get down there to take my own photos (these were taken by the good people from Melbourne Zoo). You can read more about this, and the campaign in general here.

So next time you're having a leisurely wander, or even a brisk walk through the city streets, don't be afraid to peek down some of the alleyways, don't turn away from all the hidden nooks just because you think there are drug dealers lurking in them (there often aren't) ; you never know what kind of unexpected beauty and ephemeral colour explosions you're going to find.