Melbourne Water and the Department of Environment and Primary Industries commissioned tbC to devise two separate drain art projects to raise awareness around the fact that the drain systems in Belgrave and Melbourne’s CBD flush unfiltered water directly into local river systems.
Melbourne Water asked us to help ‘Save The Platypus’ by painting 10 drain lids in the township of Belgrave, with the aim of reminding local community members about the environmental effects stormwater rubbish has on dwindling local platypus populations.
The Department of Environment and Primary Industries asked us to help raise awareness around the fact that, like Belgrave, Melbourne’s drain system does not filter stormwater and that rubbish flows directly into the Yarra River.
These two public art projects were extremely high profile in both their execution and community engagement. Artists were paid for their contributions which extended the artistic agency and status the project delivered. Young tbC artists found the projects challenging but exciting, and many reflect on them as life-changing experiences.
Click the final two images to watch the videos we produced to document these exciting projects.