Finishing off the recent Subiaco Councils Public Art trail, we wandered down to the Dome Cafe in Rokeby Road. Most street art screams out to be noticed and make a strong visual statement, this last piece had a very different objective … it didn’t want to be seen at all.
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Community Art Western Power Box © The Ponder Room
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Called Catering for Froth, Candy and Bubbles, the piece aimed to achieve the exact opposite, and to some extent … the impossible. For years the entrance to the Dome Cafe has been obstructed by a hideous, metal Western Power box. In summer the glare from the box, rivalled that of a CIA interrogation light, and rendered reverse parking utterly useless.
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Community Art Western Power box © The Ponder Room
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Community Art Western Power box © The Ponder Room
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Now however the box slunk away into the streetscape, so much so that you hardly realised it was there. The ‘froth, candy and bubbles’, a nod to the produce inside the café, made it easy to forget how the area used to look beforehand.
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Minaxi May
© The Ponder Room
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According to the local artist, Minaxi May, the painting process was laborious, but the result is a fantastic example of how community art can create better spaces, even when you start off with a very difficult canvas.
As I wandered off I pondered what the impact could be …
- An increase in jellybean, coffee bean or strawberry sales, from the subliminal effects;
- More rear bumper dents, as previously empty parking spaces now get used;
- What other hideous community structures can be improved from this treatment. I’m really looking forward to seeing some, so if you’ve seen any please let me know.
Other posts about the Subiaco Community Arts, Street Art project are:
https://www.theponderroom.com/2013/04/right-up-your-alley-community-art.html
https://www.theponderroom.com/2013/03/gods-chair-arrives-in-subiaco-community.html
To contact the Council go to:
For Dome Cafe go to:
http://www.domecoffees.com.au/
