Past Transformed projects 

Community United by Eddie Botha

Ongoing from February 2018 – January 2019
Thomas Street Multi-deck Car Park, Thomas Street, Dandenong

Community United, by accomplished Melbourne artist Eddie Botha is an artwork of highly detailed drawings celebrating people, society, local symbols and everyday life.

Eslimi by Kosar Majani

Ongoing from 2011 – 2019
Thomas Street Multi-deck Car Park (rooftop), 238 Thomas Street, Dandenong

Persian artist Kosar Majani's work focuses on pattern as a way of reflecting on culture and history in two countries. The over sized patterns are opportunistically placed in the windows of the roof top lift well. Visible from the street both day and night, the work illuminates at night. The artist has taken inspiration from the local Afghan Bazaar cultural precinct to create a fusion of Persian patterns in a modern day setting.

Harmony Tree by Jasmine Grace

Ongoing from August 2017 – April 2018
Douglas Street (Opposite Post Office), Noble Park

With more than 700 small bells of different sizes Harmony Tree by artist Jasmine Grace, provides an immersive sound installation on two trees on Douglas Street, Noble Park. Hear the bells ringing as they are activated by the blowing of the wind singing a song of unity amongst diversity and creating a gathering place of peace, respect and celebration of multiculturalism within the community. 

Measured Loss by Robbie Rowlands

Ongoing from 2012 – 2017

Through a series of precise cuts, the artist gently reconfigures existing utilitarian objects that exist at the fringes of our awareness into poetic forms. The process is not one of violence, rather there is a sense of redemption, as if the object has been liberated from forgetfulness.

Night Worker by Robbie Rowlands

Ongoing from 2012 – 2017
250 Thomas Street, Dandenong (rear of Chemist Warehouse)

Robbie Rowlands is known for mediating the boundaries between the fabricated and natural world in his work. Night Worker pays homage to the work performed by the city's utilitarian objects and public infrastructure. These mass produced and functional designs are softened and framed in terms of a new aesthetic, giving the object a renewed energy or sensibility. 

Hope and Optimism by Nick Ilton

Ongoing from May 2013 – September 2017
Ewart Lane, Dandenong

This project features two “bill boards” measuring 1.2 metres. the two messages are read together, they balance each other, yet read separately, the message of each is quite different.

Day and Night by Julian Clavijo

August 2013 – August 2016 
Thomas Street multi-deck car park (lifts), 238 Thomas Street, Dandenong

The installation offers a new and visually tantalising elevator ride where passengers are encouraged to relax and forget the stresses of daily life.

Pixel People by Ash Nolan

Ongoing from 2015 – 2016
Various locations around Dandenong

Located across Central Dandenong, 'Pixel People' is a series of temporary installations of smiling faces, featuring local people and residents. From a distance the works are remarkably detailed and as you draw close they abstract into small blocks of colour or 'pixels'.   

Chromablitz by Rowena Martinich

May 2012 – May 2014
Dandenong Market, Drum Theatre and Thomas Street Car Park, Dandenong

Chromablitz injects a much needed burst of impulsive energy and bright luminous colour into three landmark sites in Dandenong. Using glass as a canvas to enliven the pedestrian corridor between the station and the market, to create a light filled journey. The abstract strokes and iridescent colours are illuminated differently according to the weather and the time of day. 

Dispense by Nick Ilton

September 2011 – 2016
Ewart Lane, Dandenong

'Dispense' features three wall mounted mock vending machines that elude to dispense items whose value and meaning has changed over the last few decades through commoditisation, saturation, commercialisation, or all three.

Brick Wall by Zac St Clair

January 2011 – 2016
Ewart Lane, Dandenong

'Brick Wall' uses road signs as its source of inspiration to label the seemingly obvious - a brick wall. It explores society's preoccupation for signs and the need to provide directions, labels and warnings for almost everything in the public realm.

Street Pests by Sayraphim Lothian

2012 – 2013
Various locations throughout Dandenong

Street Pests brings to focus the living creatures of the city that are opportunistic users and occupiers of small spaces. The life sized animals including pigeons and rats are made from delicately patterned fabric and are attached to hand rails, awnings, conduits and brackets. 

Boyd's Hall by Clare McCracken

2011
Boyd Lane, Dandenong

This suburbia-inspired, nostalgic artwork provided a glimpse into a typical suburban hallway scene of a 1950’s home.

Featuring three oversized plaster ducks against a subtle wall paper pattern, the work cleverly leveraged off the ‘lounge’ and ‘kitchen’ seating projects in Palm Plaza and builds on the theme of bringing the familiar domestic environment outdoors.

Boyd Lane is an important pedestrian connection between Lonsdale Street and Palm Plaza and this artwork made walking through one of Dandenong's many short cuts a unique experience. The artwork offered a surprising and delightful encounter in an otherwise dull, grey environment. 

Home Comforts by Hannah Ryan and Sharron Okines

2011
Thomas Street car park and Walker Street car park, Dandenong

Home Comforts took inspiration from the familiar domestic environment, giving the general public a new vantage point whilst inside Dandenong's car park elevators.

Through Ryan’s peek at a ravishingly vibrant and unique restroom she asked us to explore the public privacy of toilets and lifts including the unpredictability of what lies on the other side of the doors. In each instance you entered a shared and intimate space, wait outside for your turn.

Through the sharing of Okines’s contented domestic situation and notion of comfort, you were invited to step into a warm relaxing place in front of a roaring fire. As you enjoyed the feeling of being wrapped in cosiness the familiarity of this domestic environment became apparent through the details within the room. 

Imag_ne by Emma Anna

October 2011 – March 2012, Dandenong Park, Dandenong
April 2010 – September 2010, Palm Plaza, Dandenong

A contemporary artwork by Emma Anna, Imag_ne became a unique roving public art commission. The work was composed of large scrabble letters that appeared to spell out the word ‘imagine’, although the second ‘I’ of the word is missing.

The word ‘imagine’ promoted the envisaging of something new, different, or wonderful - making this work in the City of Greater Dandenong both timely and appropriate.

More information on Imag_ne 

Aviary by Clare McCracken

2010 – 2012
Thomas Street car park, 238 Thomas Street, Dandenong

Aviary continued the use of the budgie who rose to fame through the popular lift (elevator) projects.

Aviary incorporated rich patterning usually reserved for suburban interiors, with the familiar house hold pet the budgie, to totally transform a high profile area near the lifts.

Aviary brought life and colour into unexpected public spaces. 

Re-enactment by Ben Cittadini

2010
Thomas and Walker Street multideck car parks, Dandenong

Share your ride in the lift with Colin and Iris and enter the mirrored fluorescence of a place and time, outside of time.

Surrounded in the serene beauty of tropical plants, pale pink, plastic and mirrored fluorescents you entered an oasis of calm in a rapidly changing environment.

Pondering the gesture of ‘time’, that of ‘old’ and ‘new’ and the ambiguities of these notions in the flux of revitalization, Colin and Iris offered a confrontational gaze of people from a past time and are a reminder of the layering of space.

Re-enactment offered a new and visually tantalising elevator ride that invites passengers to contemplate beyond the normality of daily life.

Budgie by Clare McCracken

2009
Thomas Street multi-deck car park, Dandenong

The much loved budgie that shared the daily lift journey with patrons for eight months in 2008/9 and became a familiar, untouched symbol of peoples’ love of the lift returned in 2009.

The installation elevated the budgie to centre stage and continues the experience of a rich interior offering unexpected colour, texture and opulence. A near by birdcage provides a clue to more observant patrons of this continuing story.

The installation offered a new and visually tantalising elevator ride where passengers are encouraged to relax and forget the stresses of daily life. 

Conversations with Persian Wall by Kosar Majani

June – December 2009
Thomas Street multi-deck car park, Dandenong

The textured pattern wall is inspired by the technique of Aboriginal dot painting combined with traditional Persian patterns from Iran.

The simple materials of everyday found objects take centre stage to create a dynamic entrance feature. 

Suburban Edge by Ian de Gruchy

Winter 2009 and 2010
Corner Scott and Thomas Streets

An eight storey building at the corner of Scott and Thomas Streets Dandenong was the focal point for a monstrous temporary art projection.

The 2009 winter art projection featured suburban facades from photos taken in the Dandenong area. These familiar houses are the iconic symbols of life in the suburbs. They span from the familiar concrete porthole verandahs of a typical commission home to the newly constructed ‘mc mansions’ that are fast replacing earlier post war homes.

This project has now gone on to become part of Nocturnal, an arts festival held annually in June. The program is held in association with internationally renowned projection artist Ian de Gruchy and can be seen nightly after dusk from all across Dandenong. 

Digital Windows Art Gallery

Monthly rotations throughout 2009
Palm Plaza display windows, McCrae Street, Dandenong

Digital Windows Art Gallery was an initiative by local artists to promote digital art in Dandenong. Artists and students from Chisholm Institute presented a range of art over a six month program to include digital photography, digital painting and mixed media artwork.

The first exhibition presented the work of Kosar Majani. Other artists exhibiting include Yvonne Picot, Elaine Jewers, Charlotte and Leanne Roberts, David Trout and Sylvia Rylie-King. The gallery had street access and is available for viewing 24 hours a day. 

Quarter Acre by Clare McCracken

December 2008 – May 2009
Walker Steet multi-deck car park, Dandenong

The aesthetics of Australia’s suburbs have changed dramatically. As land runs short block sizes are getting smaller and houses significantly larger. These shifts, a nation wide drought and significant water restrictions, have affected the suburban garden.

In light of the changing face of suburbia, Quarter Acre was a nostalgic look at the suburban garden - a type of TARDIS that invites us back into a world of the heavily watered, perpetually groomed and sizable yard. 

LIFT OFF 1973 by Clare McCracken

July 2008 – April 2009
Thomas Street multi-deck car park, Dandenong

LIFT OFF 1973 took inspiration from a 1970’s suburban interior. Bathed in the bright orange glow of 1973 traveller had to get ready to once again feel a shag pile between their toes!

Car park users rode back to the glorious days of contrasting designs, bright colours and geometric patterns as inspired by Connie DoddsDevitt’s book Complete Home Decorating published in 1973. 

All Walks by Ashley Nolan

March 2008 – June 2009
Ewart Lane, Dandenong

This much loved artwork depicted a range of characters including mums with prams, older people and even dogs all making their way along the street.

The stencil artwork was cleverly created using stencils and was visible from the entrance to Ewart Lane off Walker Street. 

Love is Blind by Ashley Nolan

February 2008 – June 2009
Thomas Street multi-deck car park, Dandenong

Something more sinister was at play on closer inspection of a seemingly peaceful wall painting by artist Ashley Nolan. Two love birds – blinded by love, hadn’t noticed they were being preyed upon by a nearby cat.

The work was cleverly created using stencils and was visible from the entrance to the Thomas Street multi-deck car park. 

Car Culture and the Great Australian Dream

December 2008
Thomas Street multi-deck car park and Walker Street multi-deck car park, Dandenong

A series of paste ups featuring advertising slogans and images of cars from the 1960’s, 70’s and beyond were reconfigured into a new art form providing surprise and delight to car park users.

Old advertising material had been reconfigured into a new art form through their composition and placement providing surprise and delight to car park users.

The artworks in the stairwell took people back to memories of their first car and the great open road, when car ownership was as much a part of the Australian lifestyle as owning a home.

LIFT by Clare McCracken

December 2007 – April 2009
Thomas Street multi-deck car park, Dandenong

LIFT offered car park users a new and visually alluring elevator ride where contrasting colours and patterns took inspiration from early Victorian homestead architecture.

Rich colours, patterns of Florence Broadhurst's wallpapers (Australia's first wallpaper designer) and Howard Arkley's nostalgic images of suburbia filled the space with contrasting colour and subliminal pattern. 

The Affirmation Board by Clare McCracken

1 – 22 October 2007
Dandenong Station, Lonsdale Street and Palm Plaza, Dandenong

Everyone needs a little affirmation... The Affirmation Board used a PSM message sign, an object that is regularly seen within Greater Dandenong due to the construction of East Link and other redevelopment works.

However, there was a twist! The Affirmation Board featured personalised and positive messages for pedestrians that change daily, bringing a smile to those who encounter it.

Afterlife by Julie Shiels

5 September 2007 – 16 October 2007
Dandenong Plaza windows, McCrae Street, Dandenong

This Dandenong Plaza retail window usually reserved for high fashion hosted an intriguing art installation of pyjamas made from discarded mattresses.

Having once formed the bed of a person or persons unknown, they embodied memories of other lives – from the intimate site of dreams and nightmares, passion and loneliness, birth and death.

The installation evolved from an earlier project where the artist Julie Shiels stencilled discarded furniture with truisms, quotes and stories. Over time she began noticing the quality, texture and design of the fabric coverings and began salvaging mattresses for redemption. 

Market Chris Dowd

24 July 2007 – 28 August 2007
Dandenong Plaza windows, McCrae Street, Dandenong

Dandenong Market, Victoria’s oldest market, based in Dandenong, attracts hundreds of people each week to grab a bargain and be part of the colourful and cosmopolitan market life.

Artist Chris Dowd said "We all know its great value but its the way shoppers and stall holders share a laugh that gives me a special feeling like I belong here. One needs only to stroll through the market to see this. I love coming to the Dandy market, why don’t you join me?"

In this display, photographer Chris Dowd captured images of real people enjoying the market life. 

Glorious Food! by Kate Weeks, Marynes Avila, Clare McCracken, Jenny Saulwick, Anna Brown

1 June 2007 – 17 July 2007
Dandenong Plaza windows, McCrae Street, Dandenong

Glorious Food! has inspired four artists and a chef to create windows that celebrate one of life’s essential ingredients - food.

Kate Weeks’ work features the flamboyant Carmen Miranda, who turned food into fashion with her trademark hats covered in food, flowers and feathers.

In contrast All Time Favourites by Marynes Avila presents an exotic mix of 65 universal ingredients portraying the concept of the cook becoming an alchemist, blending ingredients and providing food for the soul.

Market Day by Clare McCracken celebrates the rich language that is used to sell and buy fresh produce from the market, while Drapes Aromatique by Jenny Saulwick (artist) and Anna Brown (chef) seeks to evoke the deliciously magical use of spices both today and historically, through drapes and spice sacks to portray some of the colours, tastes and aromas created when using spices in cooking. 

Essence by Helen Pollard, Wendy Black, Sue Jarvis and Antonella Ripani

23 April 2007 – 2 June 2007
Ewart and Pearce Lanes, Dandenong

Four artists Helen Pollard, Wendy Black, Antonella Ripani and Sue Jarvis joined forces to produce work that explored aspects of Dandenong’s history and present day culture.

The installation was visible 24 hours a day.

Tin Lids by Linda Spencer

20 April 2007 – 1 June 2007
Dandenong Plaza, McCrae Street, Dandenong

This work referenced the Heinz factory, which began producing tinned food in Dandenong from the late 50’s bringing workers and families to the area.

The tin can theme is echoed in the metal kid’s clothes sculpted, using retro 60’s sewing patterns from the same era. Some of the metal garments had children’s playground sayings from the 1960’s punched into them.

• Overalls: On the strap Giddy Giddy Gout your shirt’s hanging out. One mile in, and one mile out
• Dress with bow: On the collar Copy cat from Ballarat went to school and got the strap
• Shorts: On the pockets Liar Liar Pants on fire
• Pants: On the waistband Captain Cook chased a chook all around Australia; he lost his pants in the middle of France and found them in Tasmania
• Pinafore: On pockets I scream; you scream; we all scream; for ice cream and Little Miss Pink fell down the sink how many gallons did she drink? Seven 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 

Drama Masks by Kate Weeks

15 January 2007 - 23 February 2007
Cnr Lonsdale and Walker Streets, Dandenong

Contemporary artist Kate Weeks paintings depict theatre masks surrounded by a series of spotlights.

The bold images look over the nearby Drum Theatre; Dandenong’s new theatrical heart. 

Dandenong Ranges (after Von Guerard) by Wendy Black

15 January 2007 – 23 February 2007
Dandenong Plaza, McCrae Street, Dandenong

Dandenong Ranges (after Von Guerard) highlighted Dandenong’s glorious backyard.

The imagery was based upon the painting Ferny Tree Gully in the Dandenong Ranges by Eugene Von Guerard. It was painted by Von Guerard in 1857 when he passed through, creating a great pictorial record of Victoria.

Wendy took inspiration from the painting and developed a contemporary installation featuring the bush setting and lyrebirds.

Café Culture Kate Weeks

1 December 2006 – 15 January 2007
Dandenong Plaza, McCrae Street, Dandenong

Kate Weeks stylised painting of three girls enjoying a coffee injected a sense of summer fun and colour into the Dandenong Plaza window.

The work commented on the growing café culture and is presented in the style of a theatre set for dramatic effect.

The café furniture, plants and bottles are bursting with character, as are the ‘prickly’ girls at the centre of the piece. 

Mindful Terrains by Helen Pollard, Penny Algar, Ceri Hann, Isabel O'Brien, Emma Hancock

15 November 2006 – 17 January 2007
Ewart and Pearce Lanes, Dandenong

Mindful Terrains focused on larger environmental issues while allowing the viewer to enter a new environment within an urban setting. The works combine digital prints, light based sculptures, and mixed media installations to entice passers-by to explore the laneways and be more aware of the environment they live in.

• Emma Anna’s work, Water Works, used jigsaw pieces to create the effect of water flowing from the laneway vents
• Helen Pollard’s installation, We Just Like to Hang Around, offered a serious reminder of the longevity of objects such as disposable plastic cutlery
• Ceri Hann used sea lights contained in buckets that strobe at night to invite consideration of diminishing water resources
• Penny Algar’s intriguing Insect Ladders, offered microscopic life forms an avenue of escape to a safer place.
• Isabel O’Brien’s Shifting Tableaux enabled the viewer to become part of the work as they stand before a reflective surface and are superimposed onto an image of an idyllic Australian landscape on the wall behind them. 

Fine and Dandy by Wendy Black

2 November 2006 – 15 December 2006
Corner of Lonsdale and Walker Street, Dandenong

Richmond has the Skipping Girl as a neon icon and Dandenong’s equivalent was the Dandy Pig.

While the sign was in storage, a large six-panel painting of the smiling pig was on show in a vacant first floor window opposite the Drum Theatre.

The artwork, by experienced artist Wendy Black, was a further clue to a series of smaller symbolic works in nearby Crump Lane (see Combination Pig, below). 

Combination Pork by Wendy Black

26 October 2006 – 15 December 2006
Corner of Lonsdale and Walker Street, Dandenong

The Dandy Pig makes a welcome comeback to Dandenong while it was in storage through approximately 75 small paintings referencing the iconic Dandy Hams and Bacon pig in Crump Lane.

They feature parts of the pig including his waistcoat, top hat and cane; winking eye; smile and characteristic stylised face. 

Traces by Clare McCracken

23 October 2006 – 1 December 2006
Dandenong Plaza, McCrae Street, Dandenong

Clare McCracken’s work was comprised of five market style shopping jeeps each covered in its own style of fabric depicting the many cultures that have made Dandenong their home.

An immigration timeline behind the trolleys highlighted the role of migration in the creation of the city and celebrated the collective history shared by Dandenong’s inhabitants. 

Shop Front Art Projection by Ian de Gruchy

1 – 10 August 2006
Corner of Lonsdale and Walker Street, Dandenong

Internationally renowned artist Ian De Gruchy dazzled Dandenong for 10 nights with his innovative light projection in a vacant shop opposite Drum Theatre.

A series of geometric patterns, textures and colour danced across the walls and ceiling of the former bank in a 15 minute light show. The work was powered by 12 light projectors that operated each night.