The walk through Boyd Lane in Dandenong has become a little brighter with the help of artist Brett Ashby.
The project to transform bare walls into a creative backdrop was part of the Transformed temporary public art programme run by Greater Dandenong City Council. Just as poster printing can add to the aesthetics of an area, the temporary public art expressions are enhancing public spaces throughout Dandenong.
For Ashby, it meant the creation of cleverly painted coloured blocks and keywords on the pavement, doorways and walls. According to Ashby, the artwork has successfully enlivened the laneway which enjoys in excess of 1,000 pedestrians daily between Lonsdale Street and Palm Plaza.
The creative work was inspired by the commercial history of the area, which included the Gippsland Hardware Company owned by the Boyd family, who operated the outlet located just next door to the lane.
The boom days of Lonsdale Street are reflected in the inclusion of a ‘Golden Mile’ slogan in the mural. Ashby’s artistic talents were also employed in 2017 to decorate a substation in Mawson Street which is no longer used with his artwork Cube Lane.
Artists such as Ashby, who has achieved international acclaim, are assisting greatly via the Transformed programme to help inject vibrancy and colour into public spaces throughout Greater Dandenong with more than 30 works undertaken since its inception in 2006.
