Welcome to the first edition of Rail Projects Victoria’s Art of Rail eNewsletter.

We will be showcasing the artists and artworks that keep our project worksites and surrounding precincts vibrant and colourful, including the Metro Tunnel Project and Regional Rail Revival.

We will also be announcing calls for artists to work on our projects through Expressions of Interest, other commissions and opportunities.
 

Pat Perry celebrates Melbourne theatre culture

Pat Perry, an internationally renowned artist known for his large-scale works across the globe, has painted a 90-metre long, over 20-metre wide mural on the rooftop of the acoustic shed erected over City Square. The shed was built as part of construction of the new Town Hall Station to ensure noise and dust is contained.

The elevated artwork pays homage to early Melbourne’s theatre history and was inspired by a visit to the Princess Theatre archives with prominent Melburnian Elaine Marriner earlier this year. The design shows a theatre troupe that might have graced the stage in the late 1800s.

Read more about Pat Perry's artwork at our City Square site. 

Regional artists making their mark thanks to the Ballarat Line Upgrade

Warrnambool artists Fiona Clarke and Ken McKean have been commissioned to create a series of artworks for each of the upgraded stations at Wendouree, Ballan, Bacchus Marsh and Rockbank, as well as the new station at Cobblebank. 

Fiona, a Kirrae Whurrong artist, and her husband Ken have developed five creative designs in response to the traditional Indigenous seasons of Victoria and the Kulin Nations – the Traditional Custodians of the land where the stations sit. 

Read more about the artwork on the Ballarat Line Upgrade.

Divine characters grace Melbourne's CBD

Melbourne creative duo Will and Garrett Huxley (aka The Huxleys) were commissioned by the Metro Tunnel Creative Program to create designs to brighten up the City Square construction hoardings and nearby Scott Alley. 

The representation of sequins, glitter and magical characters on the vinyl construction hoardings helped the city celebrate one of its iconic festivals – Melbourne Fashion Week.

The ‘Pink Fit’ artwork on the hoarding in Scott Alley (a laneway that backs directly onto a Metro Tunnel construction site) was also part of the Flinders Quarter Augmented Reality Art Walk enticing people into the laneway to discover the virtual reality visual treat and support local businesses in the process. 

Read more on The Huxleys.

Artists go behind the scenes of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

A partnership between the Metro Tunnel Creative Program and the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, curated by Lisa Warrener from Global Art Projects, allowed four artists rare access to the State Botanical Collection at the National Herbarium of Victoria. 

Artist Caitlin Klooger from textile design company Ink & Spindle created a montage of botanical imagery inspired by the plants she saw in the herbarium as well as others found in the gardens.

Read more about Caitlin Klooger's art. 

Supporting our arts students

The Metro Tunnel Creative Program has worked closely with the Victorian College of Arts and RMIT to ensure student art is celebrated on a large scale around our sites. 

Four recent graduates from VCA have works around the Parkville Station precinct including a 90-metre piece call ‘Rej’ by Evan Whittington that runs the length of Barry St.  A selection panel including Raafat Ishak from VCA chose the works. 

Read more about our industry partnership. 

More information

• Visit metrotunnel.vic.gov.au for information on the Metro Tunnel Project
• Visit regionalrailrevival.vic.gov.au for more information on the Regional Revival Project, including the Ballarat Line Upgrade.
• Alternatively, phone 1800 105 105 for more information on any of our projects. For our Interpreter Line please call (03) 9209 0147.