Alleyway art in the heart of Dandenong

Helen Pollard’s installation “We just like to hang around”.

Emma Hancock’s installation “Water Works”.

Ceri Hann’s installation uses sea lights which strobe at night in buckets.

Next time you’re driving through Dandenong, get out of your car and pound the pavement. Chances are you’ll come face to face with the fruits of an innovative laneway art installation.

A group of graduates and students of the postgraduate RMIT Art in Public Space program are the practitioners of Mindful Terrains, installations that shine a spotlight on serious environmental and ecological issues.

Mindful Terrains is part of a two-year program of public art works in central Dandenong, which is one of the initiatives of the “Revitalising Central Dandenong” project.

The $290 million “Revitalising Central Dandenong” project is funded by the Victorian Government and will be delivered by VicUrban in partnership with the City of Greater Dandenong.

Mayor Youhorn Chea said the thought-provoking pieces in the Mindful Terrains series provided pedestrians with a diversion to break up their journey through the city centre.

“Mindful Terrains, in Ewart and Pearce lanes in Dandenong, focuses on larger environmental issues and allows the viewer to enter a new context within an urban setting,” Cr Chea said.

The five artists created their own work for different parts of the laneways and the entire installation was curated by RMIT Master of Arts (Art in Public Space) graduate Helen Pollard.

The artists closely collaborated on the project and produced works using techniques ranging from digital prints, light-based sculptures and mixed media installations.

“The aim is to entice passers-by to explore Dandenong’s laneways and start to seek out temporary public art installations as part of their daily cultural experience,” said Jenny Pemberton-Webb, RMIT Research Associate with the School of Art and Place Manager with “Revitalising Central Dandenong”.

Emma Hancock’s work, Water Works, uses jigsaw pieces to create the effect of water flowing from the laneway vents into drains, prompting the viewer to consider the ongoing issue of water wastage.

Artist Ceri Hann also explores the theme of water and uses sea lights contained in buckets that strobe at night to invite consideration of diminishing water resources.

Helen Pollard’s installation, We Just Like to Hang Around, offers a serious reminder of the longevity of objects such as disposable, non-biodegradable plastic cutlery.

Penny Algar’s intriguing Insect Ladders offers microscopic life forms an avenue of escape to a safer place.

Artist Isabel O’Brien’s Shifting Tableaux enables viewers to become part of the work as they stand before a reflective surface and are superimposed onto an image of an idyllic Australian landscape on the wall behind them.

Ewart and Pearce lanes are off Walker Street, halfway between Lonsdale and Thomas streets in Dandenong. The installation can be viewed at any time until Thursday, 17 January.

For more information, contact Jenny Pemberton-Webb at jpembe@cgd.vic.gov.au.

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