Fish Lane Murals

The west and east portraits face each other, each looking out through their extraordinary eyewear as if seeking one another – as past might seek the future, and as the present might look to the past.  This engagement embodied by the two pillars reflects the unique social nature of the precinct. Fish Lane, and the greater West End/South Brisbane area, is a place when people come together for rich blend of culture, creativity and company.

George Fish; entrepreneur, champion of South Brisbane, purveyor of steam, namesake of Fish Lane and proprietor of quite the most marvellous Victorian beard. If ever a notable figure in Brisbane’s past suited an interpretation in the steampunk aesthetic, it would appear to be our Mr. Fish. Here he is, nestled fashionably in his fish bowl, atop a fascinating system of pressurised mechanica – where water and energy combine with a pinch of magic. To the east the artist appears, his future counterpart, as if born of that very steam like a genie from a bottle.

In keeping with the unique ethos of the West End/South Brisbane area, it was important to me that the artwork I created for this project sat organically in situ as if each piece had grown in place, a product of its location, rather than something imposed upon it. This has been achieved by employing brick as the background for each subject, ensuring that no hard lines or banner edges will define where the work begins and ends.

The words that inspired the titles of both works were just a fortuitous bit of happenstancery that fell from my brain during the R&D phase of the project…

‘East of the mountains, 
west of the sea, 
south of the river, 
is where I’ll be.’

…born from the idea that regardless of eras, of fashions or developments, their are fundamentals to a location that will always remain constant. Therein lies a timeless witness to the tapestry of life and change – a link to all for whom a particular place has meant something special.