RMIT STUDIO | MELBOURNE

I spent a semester of my Masters in Planning studying at RMIT in Melbourne. In my studio course, I focused on “cultural attractors”, with specific attention paid to the famous graffitied laneways of Melbourne. I proposed that art and cultural spaces throughout Melbourne’s CBD act as organs that provide life to the city. Graffitied alleys - conceptualized as the “heart” of the city - are cultural attractors that create temporary and dynamic art spaces, which “bleed” out to the street and connect to other “organs” (inlcuding museums, commercial galleries, artist-run spaces, libraries, cafes, etc). It was noted that while the quality and quantity of grafitti lessens with closer proximity to the adjacent street(s), “blood” still flows out and spills over to these major networks adding to the street life in surrounding communities and creating moments of joy. As well, the “veins” that reach the street grab the attention of passerby and draw them in to the alleys, along the major “arteries” until they reach the core, or the alley’s “heart”. Conceptual 3D models were created to test these ideas.