posted July 7 2006

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Found: Foster Street, St Kilda

posted July 6 2006

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posted May 9 2006

I love St Kilda is moving to Writing in public space. The new site will continue to reflect the nature of gentification and homogenisation in a globalised world. All new posts about St Kilda will appear in the ilovestkilda category of the new blog.

This site will stay here but no more work will be posted. So if you are a new visitor take a tour around the backblog, explore this chronicle through the categories (at left) or you can read from the beginning. Navigating through the site in this way will present a different view of the street life in a place called St Kilda.

Stories and text on abandoned furniture are listed under discarded and for other street work go to postings.

posted May 8 2006

posted May 6 2006

Time wasters

“What are you doing that for?” he said.

“To prompt a different way of thinking about stuff in the street .”

He paused for a second, then said “you know in the 30s there was this fellow who used to write the word Eternity in chalk on the pavement. He did it for years all over Sydney, the same word over and over again.”

“That’s one of the ideas behind this work” J said enthusiastically.

“I could find better things to do with my time” he answered. “But it was nice talking to you” he said as he walked away.

posted March 29 2006

The comet marks the spot for some new traffic calming in Mitchell St to help the punters who are looking for a girl stick to the right side of the road.

The only kind of aerosol art allowed during the Commonwealth Games. To see the rest of the series go to City Traces.

posted March 28 2006

…….or community action. Robe St was ‘the sex beat’ in St Kilda until the Council put in roundabouts, one way sections and traffic calming measures to stops cars from cruising. The business moved on to neighbouring streets. Now the residents are regularly seen discussing the unsightly dumped furniture in the street. Will they convince Council to remedy this problem too?

posted March 27 2006

It’s feijoa time again.

$1 for .75 kg. Please throw coins onto lawn.

As J was taking the photo A stopped on her bike.
“Isn’t it great”, she said, “my daugther S helped pick the fruit this year”.
She collected a whole pile of plastic bags all ready for the harvest. Yesterday she waited all day for the owners to come home. Then they filled 15 bags and look, now there is only one left and everybody just throws their money on the lawn,” she exclaimed. “My daughter thinks this house is the most magical place in St Kilda.”

Click here for stories and comments from last year’s feijoa time.

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Acland Street, St Kilda

posted March 24 2006

posted March 22 2006

Maybe the paperboy deserves a raise.

posted March 16 2006

Always something there to remind you.

posted March 15 2006

A matter of taste or a question of manners?

posted March 13 2006

She returned to pick up her sandals and rang on the door bell.

“Come in”, he said, “I just have to finish the stitching.”

“Come out the back and I’ll show you where I work.”

“Did you originally have a shop?” she asked.

“Yes”, he replied “in Bridge Road Richmond – for 40 years. Now I am retired but life doesn’t go as you expect, so I do a little work from home.”

“You must have seen a lot of change in Richmond,” she commented, “like when they built the high-rise.”

“Yes” he said, “they just took the people’s houses and knocked them down. All those people, they got nothing for their land. Government couldn’t do that these days.”

“Do you like tomatoes”, he asked. “I get a bag for you. I’ve got too many.”

posted March 10 2006


“What are doing?”, he asked, as she was pinning on the stencil.

“It’s just a bit of temporary art in a public space”, she replied.

“Did you put the couch there?”

“Oh no”, she said “it’s just been dumped. Lots of people move in out of the area, the rents keep going up or maybe somebody got a new couch and didn’t want the old one.”

“Is it a bit of agit-prop?”, he enquired.

“No”, she said, “it’s what ever you want to make of it, however this is a sex beat.”

“Oh” he said “I did notice that.”

When she told him that there was more work on a website he asked for the address as she finished taking her photos.

Suddenly he said, “you’re Julie Shiels”.

“How do you know?” she stammered, part surprise, part horror. “I just looked it up”, and he showed her the site from his mobile phone.

“Can I take a photo too?” he asked “my wife’s an artist, I think she’ll like this”.