Recently I discovered a web site that shares places to photograph around most Australian cities and one of them was this spot in Sydney that is NOT on your normal site seeing guides.Anyway I had half a day to kill before I flew out to Melbourne where I know that there is some lane way art (Graffiti) that is actually a tourist attraction in the city, so off I went
The first thing I noticed on arrival at this so called "places to shoot in Sydney" is the gates were locked. Luckily the web site had directions in case this would happen.
So following the great directions from the web site I noticed that I was actually about to trespass, so in I went through the fence over the steaming heap off horse shit (as it is in the grounds of an inner city trotting track) and into the shadows of the building(stealth mode).
Once I finally found my way into the building and got over the nerves of being popped for trespassing or by a psycho homeless dude I found the old factory was pretty cool. As I walked around snapping shots I noticed that this is not gonna be Sydney's next tourist attraction.
Quick on a plane before the paint dries, Melbourne.Its not hard to find the "lane way art" in Melbourne its been on getaway, in tourist pamphlets and most Melbournians can point you in the write direction.
On arriving at the lane ways I noticed I wasn't alone and definatly not the only one with lens in hand. There were several photographers here and even a film crew and model doing some sort of interview not to mention the methadone clinic and its customers hanging about, yeah real touristy (come see our junkies).
The Graffiti in the lane ways was different to Sydney's underground spot. It was very political with pictures of G.W Bush and K Rudd or as it was on the wall KRUDD and apparently the government are trying to protect the lane ways from future art being blasted all over the existing pieces in order to preserve their new found tourist attraction.
I'm pretty sure the guys n gales responsible for the lane way art wont want their hands tied when it comes to when and what they can paint.
If only Sydney would set aside some space for people to express themselves legally like the Melbourne government (for now anyway) and the ACT who also support Graffiti artists in designated areas, we might have a whole new tourist trade.
Not one person in the lane ways looked like they had ever held a spray can or pen and were taking a genuine interest in this new and different attraction.
Not all Graffiti is pretty but some can be cool (in the right places).
