COMM2411 ASSESSMENT TASK #3 Jemima Lewis S3282661 John Wegman S3234266
Parliament House of Victoria designed architectural forms in cities have had more care and thought put intot their constructions ‘in terms of money, care, attention to detail and investment into the future’ (pg.77). This theory can be seen in the actual construction of the home of Victoria’s Parliament as its edifice commenced in 1856 it still remains incomplete, and sections such as the Library, West facade, steps and Dome were slowly added across the 19th and 20th century. This timely execution describes exactly what Rollo contributes to what makes a sustainable architectural wonder; timely and thoroughly considered ‘investment into the future.’ In contrast however it is now imagined that this iconic symbol of power in the city is losing out to the people it is governing. According to Castelles’ (2006), social media and the Internet have had a resounding impact on what constitutes ‘power,’ and has also seen a changing of the Melbourne’s Parliament of Victoria, located at the hand which feeds. It is recognised that ‘all institutional intersection of Spring and Bourke Street in the CBD is systems reflect power relations’ (pg. 239) but now the a design structure which embodies an image of timeless obvious ‘structures of power’ – the ‘institutional public power and solidity. It is, of course, a traditional structure space based on the articulation between a democratic of power in the society of Melbourne, the state of Victoria political system, an independent judiciary, and a civil society and even nationally across Australia. connected to the state’ (pg. 258) have now depleted power due to consumer empowerment. The hierarchical The building was constructed for the purpose of seating ‘steps’ between the states leaders and the Parliament and the Parliament of Victoria, which it has homed since 1855. its people has now been diminished, if not eliminated, It was also once used as the seat of national Parliament, through social media platforms. but this was of course moved to Canberra, the capital of the Australian Capital Territory. Hence, it is evident that written by Jemima Lewis S3282661 Parliament is the symbolic home of politics and traditional power over a society. The Parliament House of Victoria building is a historical landmark and is respected for this reason, which attracts many visitors to its location, alongside its rationale for politics as business. Its purpose as an architectural signpost is equally important, with elements of its construction helping to shape its position as an attraction. The interior and particularly the exterior of the building is just as important as the buildings purpose itself, as demonstrated in Dovey’s ‘Fluid City: Transforming Melbourne’s Urban Waterfront’ (2005). Details of Parliament including detailing of architraves,velvet furniture, sweeping staircases, gold trimming and extravagant lighting fixtures all can be associated with finesse and ‘power.’ This is supported by Rollo’s ‘Contemporary Melbourne Architecture’ (1999), as ‘substance and solidity’ is attributed to classical ‘19th century buildings’ in Melbourne’s city. It seems, in Rollo’s opinion, that older and more classically
Reference List • Castells, Manuel 2006, Communication, Power and Counter-power in the Network Society, presented originally as a lecture Opening Lecture of the Annual Meeting of the International Communication Association, Dresden, 18 June 2006. • Rollo, Joe 1999, Contemporary Melbourne Architecture, University of New South Wales Press, Printer Southwood Press, Marrickville • Dovey, K 2005, ‘Federation’ in Fluid City: Transforming Melbourne’s Urban Waterfront’ course readings from Communications and Social Relations (COMM2411), RMIT University, Melbourne, viewed April 27 2010, RMIT Learning Hub
Hosier Lane the forerunner in this particular movement. As Chris Dew explains, Melbourne’s laneways exhibit “the new use of old technology” found in “Parisian stencil artists of the 1980s [and] the political graffiti of Latin America” (2005, p5354). Whilst Hosier Lane is sanctioned by the government for street art use, various other graffiti hotspots around Melbourne do not have the same leeway. The debate over whether or not this type of street art is vandalism has been raging long before Hosier Lane became a paramount icon of Melbourne. Mark Halsey and Alison Young shed light on both sides of the arguments in their article in The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, referring to street art as both “art and crime”(p7). Street art is a vital part of Melbourne’s subculture, and Hosier Lane stands as testament to this. Hosier Lane is an iconic laneway located to the south of the Melbourne city grid. It is a famous tourist destination due to its street art and graffiti. Hosier Lane has provided Melbourne’s best street artists a canvas where they can express their ideas and artworks. A lot of the work is of political nature and involves a high level of technical and artistic skill. Hosier Lane is embraced by the city of Melbourne for its artwork and symbolism. Hosier Lane has become more than just street art; it has engrained a certain philosophy in its following and stands for more than just aesthetic value. Although some are opposed to the idea of street art and believe it is vandalism, most people enjoy the clever and artistic works. In terms of world-scale popularity, Hosier Lane is the Guggenheim of street art. As pointed out in Jeff Stewart’s eJournal article Graffiti Vandalism? Street art and the City: Some Considerations, Hosier Lane is rich with meanings and ideology. This “beautiful mess” has the ability to “disrupt the spotless and sanctioned advertising through its frayed appearance”(p5-10). Hosier Lane has become a symbol of “political activism” and empowerment to the people, and acts to dethrone the government with its resilient nature (see Halsey 2002). As the city’s number of police on the street and cameras on corners increase, street art undermines this very step of the government’s approach to controlling the population and how they behave. Hosier Lane has become a place of silent protest that speaks only in visuals. Although Melbourne is one of the most excellent cities in the world to experience the street art phenomenon, it is not
As Stewart explains, even the MCC, with its zerotolerance policy, is using graffiti to promote the city on its tourist information website, thatsmelbourne.com.au, where it declares: “Culture capital, graffiti capital, open air art gallery – whichever way it is said, Melbourne has plenty to offer to the culture vultures of all ages, just by walking the streets” (p5-10).
written by John Wegman S3234266
Reference List • Dew, Chris 2005. Chris Dew on stencil revolution, Arena Magazine, Fitzroy, Victoria, no.77, pp.53-54 • Stewart, Jeff, “Graffiti Vandalism? Street art and the City: Some Considerations”, UNESCO Observatory, pp. 5-10 • Halsey, Mark and Young, Alison 2002, ‘The Meanings of Graffiti and Municipal Administration’, The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, vol. 35, no. 2, pp.1-15