May Lane

The wall art in May Lane is often in the news. This time it’s on page three of the Sydney Morning Herald because there is going to be a national tour of panels from this laneway in St Peters, setting off in October. It all started about five years ago with Tuli Balog encouraging graffiti writers to do pieces on the wall of his picture-framing factory. Kurt Iveson has written about it in his book Publics and the city (Blackwell Publishing, 2007).

But the graffiti on the pavement in May Lane is never mentioned. Walk up and down the lane, though, and you will find all sorts of deliberate and accidental art decorating the gutters, along with the signatures of people whose wall pieces have long since been covered over.

POSTSCRIPT  – Since I wrote this post, May Lane has become the subject of discussion at Marrickville Council (not for the first time). Here’s a report by an onlooker of the discussion at the meeting on 9 November 2010. It’s on the Saving Our Trees website, although I don’t quite get the connection.

4 Comments

  1. Nama Saya Manu 20 September 2010

    Pavements in front of graffiti walls are a constant source of inspiration…
    ps: I miss so much Mays Lane, Cheers Tugi!


  2. megan 16 October 2010

    Do you have anything like May Lane, or any pavement graffiti, wherever it is that you are, Tugi?
    Megan


  3. Nama Saya Manu 16 July 2011

    G’day May Lane,

    Sorry it took me a while to realise your email back.

    Definitely few places in Paris. Just Google Rue des Pyrénnées, and Piscine Molitor so that you can get a better idea.
    Cheers,
    Manu


  4. megan 22 July 2011

    Oh wow! There is definitely too much to see in Paris. I’ve googled both the places you suggest. I particularly like the big characters on the bottom of the Piscine Molitor like this one you photographed. You have some lovely textural photos too. Thanks Manu.


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