The subeditor in me is just itching to stick a caret in there.

I'm endlessly fascinated by how we use the city as a substrate not just for art, but for communication and raw human expression. When I first started this project I made separate IG accounts for what I saw as different aspects of the project: @ if.these.walls was for stuff like this, @ it.must.be.a.sign was for weird and funny signs, and my main account was for the more traditional urban landscape photography. I've done away with that compartmentalisation here, partly because it was a hassle but more because the parts feel like they want to be a whole.

Anyway. Expect more landscapes and less graff as I work my way forward through the archives. But for now enjoy Melbourne's sharehouse dramas writ large on laneway walls.

Image: Fitzroy, June 2015

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#graff #graffiti #laneways

#melbourne #australia #psychogeography #humangeography #speculativegeography #marginalspaces #liminalcities #hiddencities #invisiblecities #urbanphotography #streetphotography

The day this immigrant first discovered chokos.

"The humble choko is often seen as nothing more than a creeping wild vine across Australian backyards, sheds and neighbourhoods, but this fruit has a long and travelled history.

Originating in Mexico, where it was a staple food for the Aztecs and other indigenous societies, the choko travelled from Central America to Europe during the Columbian exchange in the 16th century. From there, it traversed Asia and, finally, came to Australia.

... While it’s better known in Chinese cuisine as a staple vegetable with various cooking methods, the history of its culinary use in Australia is far different.

... Chokos in Australia were known as a ’filler’ for low-income families during the Great Depression. Given the choko's ability to grow wild and yield plenty of crops, it was seen as a free backyard source of fibre and nutrition. I can understand why some people can’t touch choko if they ate it a lot in their younger years and got sick of it – I’m not sure I would want to eat it a couple of times a week." (https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/an-ode-to-the-versatility-of-chokos/7bpqs4m57)

Image: Brunswick East, June 2015

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#melbourne #australia #localhistory #psychogeography #humangeography #laneways #freefood #sustainability #bloomscrolling

Still don't know.

Fitzroy, April 2015

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#itmustbeasign #ifthesewalls #laneways

#melbourne #australia #psychogeography #speculativegeography #marginalspaces #liminalcities #hiddencities #invisiblecities #everydaymagic #hellofromtheotherside #thismightbeagame #visualpoetry #urbanphotography #streetphotography #photography

This is just terrible!
We have this amazing, vibrant street, that's iconic in Melbourne and a developer builds a really poor quality "white box" next to it.
FFS! Developers are the worst! (some) This was an opportunity for the developer to build on something successful and extend that design and enhance the whole street. Instead they have created a dead lifeless box that is never going to be as loved or popular or prosperous as the rest of the street.
Am I being unreasonable?
#Melbourne #Laneways

#laneways
#Melbourne