Concrete anti-terror bollards placed around Melbourne pedestrian hotspots have been covered in bright fabric, confetti and paint in a move dubbed on social media as #bollart.
The bollards began cropping up around the city in June, though for security reasons the location of the bollards was only revealed as they were installed. So far, they have been placed around Flinders and Southern Cross train stations.
The premier, Daniel Andrews, introduced the bollards as a means of preventing attacks following the Bourke Street tragedy, when a man allegedly drove through pedestrian traffic and killed five people, and the London Bridge terror attack, in which people were killed and injured in a combined vehicle and knife attack.
The grey bollards were lamented by some as an eyesore. That was until Thursday, when a lonely rainbow-striped bollard cover appeared.
The #Melbourne #bollard revolution has begun!! Very Melbourne @LordMayorMelb @howcroft #creativestate #springst pic.twitter.com/VQTl4xUTnw
— Charlie Suds (@charlie_suds) June 29, 2017
By Monday, other citizen artists had joined the revolution. While the Flinders Station bollards remained bare, a number of bollard covers could be found covering the concrete slabs around Southern Cross.
One of the bollards was depicted by an artist, D’Aniel Andrews, as being a work of art in itself. A label accompanying the bollart named it Composition II, Embraced. The art, made of concrete and steel on footpath, represented how “the city suspends all tension in a phantasmagoria of stoic existence”, the label read.
Anti-bollartists have been reportedly removing some of the covers. But in a tweet, the City of Melbourne council denied responsibility, saying “We’re not removing art from the bollards”.
The Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Robert Doyle, also voiced his approval of bollart, saying he was a “fan of anything that brightens up the city”. However, he added: “Probably wouldn’t hire them to decorate my house”.
Bollart-supporter Grant Taylor posted the bollard dimensions online for those hoping to craft their own bollart covers. Apparently the cubes have an edge length of 81cms.
Eventually the bollards will be replaced with permanent barriers or retractable bollards.
Have you seen any of Melbourne's #bollart?? https://t.co/UHyVvv9aTp
— Sharon Cheung (@thesharoncheung) July 3, 2017
A beautiful piece of #BollArt installed by a friend. Sadly already removed, hope not by u @cityofmelbourne #StreetArt #Melbourne pic.twitter.com/V2LG8YwgX8
— Grant Taylor (@GrantKTaylor) June 29, 2017
Thanks for getting in touch. We're not removing the art from the bollards.
— City of Melbourne (@cityofmelbourne) June 29, 2017
A new beauty in Bourke St Mall. For those sewing at home the cubes have an edge length of 80-81 cms. #BollArt #Melbourne #StreetArt pic.twitter.com/Ce1AGT4apE
— Grant Taylor (@GrantKTaylor) June 29, 2017
After his first #BollArt was stolen, Dr George bounces back with two fluffy geometric beauties. #Melbourne #StreetArt pic.twitter.com/s2NJw7qFaU
— Grant Taylor (@GrantKTaylor) July 2, 2017
Nothing more offensive than a #nudebollard
— John Bartlett (@beyond_estuary) July 3, 2017
