Following a successful appeal by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria), the famous Skipping Girl Vinegar neon sign in Abbotsford is once again illuminated.

The Skipping Girl sign was erected for Skipping Girl Vinegar in 1936. Her design was created by Jim Minogue in 1915, who won a competition to create a symbol for vinegar manufacturers Nycander & Co. Pty Ltd. He based his design on his eight-year old sister, Kitty (who later became a nun). When the factory was demolished in 1968 the sign was removed, but following a public outcry, a replica was created in 1970 and placed on the roof of the Crusader Plate factory in Abbotsford.

The sign, which is one of the most loved and recognised icons of Melbourne, has again been sitting in the dark since 2001, after it’s owners decided to pull the plug on funding and maintenance.

As reported on The Grapevine back in 2008, the National Trust was looking for $60,000 to have the sign restored.

Following generous donations from nostalgic Melbournians, the Heriage Council of Victoria, the Melbourne Heritage Restoration Fund and an electricity company, the sign was taken down in March for restoration at Delta Neon’s factory in Heidelberg.

Last Wednesday 10 June, the restored sign was illuminated for the first time.

Unfortunately I was unable to attend the big launch, but I had a good look this evening and it was great to see Little Audrey skipping again.

As an added bonus, “green electricity” is being supplied by an electricity company to keep her illuminated and minimise any negative environmental effects arising from her operation.

More information:

The Skipping Girl sign shines every night at 651-653 Victoria Street, Abbotsford.

The sponsoring electricity company has provided a website here, and you can also see pictures of the restoration at Delta Neon by Mimmo Cozzolino and the Heritage Council on Flickr.

Today I attended the Max Dupain photography exhibition – Max Dupain on Assignment – at the Public Records Office of Victoria in North Melbourne. The exhibit is part of the National Gallery of Australia’s travelling exhibits series and showcases Dupain’s most significant works. I really enjoyed my visit.

_{Meat Queue (1942) by Max Dupain}

Max Dupain is one of Australia’s most recognised commercial photographers. Between the 1929 and 1992, he produced hundreds of photographs for CSR Limited, various Commonwealth Government departments, the ABC and other commercial clients. Initially starting with studio and product photography, he became most recognised for his commercial, industrial and architectural photography post-WW2. He was also adept at capturing the everyday scenes of Australian life.

Although Dupain did some colour work, he mostly choose to photograph on black-and-white film. This medium beautifully highlighted the shadows, light and shapes that defined his photography. Dupain’s most famous work is Sunbaker (1937), a depiction of his friend at the beach, which was eventually purchased by the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. Another famous work is Meat Queue (1946), which documented the reality of post-war rationing.

_{Sunbaker (1937) by Max Dupain}

One of my favourite Max Dupain images is this 1977 photograph of the interior of the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney. I really like the bold lines of the ceiling that draw in the eye. But I also like the small details too, such as the gallery patrons and the tiny sculpture that sits on the floor of this large gallery space.

_{Art Gallery of New South Wales (1977) by Max Dupain}

The Public Records Office had approximately 200 Dupain works on display. In addition, a book entitled Max Dupain on Assignment (ISBN 978-1-920807-59-7) can be purchased from the PROV desk for $20. The book features biographical information as well as reproductions of most of Dupain’s most significant and representative works. It also details the arduous task of collating and digitising the numerous photographs in preparation for the exhibit.

I really recommend a visit to Max Dupain on Assignment, before it closes in June 2009.

^{Victorian Archives Centre, North Melbourne  (A. Dimech)}

How to get there:

The Public Records Office of Victoria is located at the Victorian Archives Centre, 99 Shiel Street, North Melbourne. The Centre is open from 9am-4:30pm weekdays. Entry is free.

Every year, millions of Melburnians decorate their homes in anticipation of Christmas. Yet nowhere does the art of illuminated Christmas decoration become more passionate than in the suburbs, where households compete to win the annual Christmas Lights competition, hosted by K-Mart.

This year’s winners were Gesu and Clara Mastropietro of 13 Narracan Street in Vermont South.

Last night, I visited the garden. I was not only taken aback by the exuberant display, but by the sheer number of people who’d also made the pilgrimage.

Hundreds of eager families had made their way to 13 Narracan Street when I arrived at 8:45pm. Simply finding a place to position my tripod and take some photos was a challenge, as more and more people came to witness the display.

Mastropietro had mounted thousands of Christmas lights from one end of the house to the other. The trees and shrubs were filled with fairy lights, and the entire front garden was covered with illuminated Christmas-themed decorations. The house was marked by a giant star on a prominent front corner and even the garage was opened to the public, filled with endless Christmas decorations. It really was a magical sight, particularly for the children.

Not long after I arrived, an entrepreneurial ice-cream vendor turned up with his ice-cream truck. I have read reports of tourist buses arriving too, although I didn’t see any when I visited. That said, the simple task of crossing this normally quiet residential street was made quite hazardous on account of the unyielding flows of traffic! Regardless, a great time was had by all. (Except, perhaps, for the boy left behind by his parents).

Through their elaborate Christmas decorations, the Mastropietro’s have brought joy to thousands of Melbourne’s families who’ve enjoyed their lavish electrical display.

However, the joy of the Christmas lights doesn’t end with those who’ve visited. Money that Gesu and Clara Mastropietro raise from the display is generously donated to the Starlight Children’s Foundation and people are encouraged to make a donation after visiting (a wishing well is provided).

Take a look for yourself:

If you would like to share in some Christmas joy, a drive to 13 Narracan Street in Vermont South (Melway 62 G8) is well worth the effort. From Burwood Highway, turn into Hartland Road at the Vermont South Shopping Centre and then turn right at Weeden Drive. (Neighbours ‘trainspotters’ will realise how close this street is to Pinoak Court, otherwise known as Ramsay Street).

If you can’t make the journey, Gesu Mastropietro has uploaded two videos of the display on YouTube: Christmas Display 2008 and Christmas Display 2007.

I’ve recently been rediscovering the joys of film photography.

Inspired by the multitude of users on Flickr and a desire to try something different in photography, I decided it was time to give film a go.  I’d used film before, but stopped in 2004 when I purchased my first digital camera. In those days, film was the only option for photography and since I’d been a child I’d persisted with Kodak Gold 100. Only once did I try another film, and that was in 1996 when I sampled a roll of Ilford FP4 Plus (ISO 125).

Things have changed since the film era. Not only has digital photography revolutionised the art of photography, but the internet has come along too and for some reason there’s not half as much satisfaction in placing my photos in an album as sharing them online.

A few months ago I purchased an Epson Perfection V500 slide-scanner. The V500 functions both as a normal flatbed document scanner and photographic scanner for slides and negatives. I wanted a slide scanner so I could upload my analogue photos.

I then had to choose some film. After shopping around, I decided to settle on Fujifilm Velvia 50. Designed for vivid daylight photos, this low-speed film is apparently popular for the rich photographs it produces.

With a roll of film in hand, I pulled my Canon EOS 500N out of the cupboard, dusted it off, loaded a roll of film and went shooting.

The first realisation was that I was unable to review my photos. Sure, I knew this already, but the habit of consulting the rear of the camera to review the shot is hard to break! The second realisation was that I’d be waiting weeks to get my photos back. I took my time finishing my roll of 36 exposures on account of the cost. Because I had no real idea of how many photos would even expose properly, I wanted to use the roll of film as best I could. I finally finished the film last week and had the slides mounted at Vanbar in Carlton. When I received my box of slides, I was pleasantly surprised.

My favourite shot was one that I took in the Cowan Gallery at the State Library of Victoria. The Velvia 50 brought out the rich red of the walls and the mounting of my Tamron 11-22mm lens on the EOS 500N body caused a complimentary vignetting which framed the photo beautifully. The Epson slide-scanner reproduced the colours from the slide accurately.

I also had some nice exposures of Rupertswood Mansion in Sunbury, which I took on my visit in September:

Whilst Velvia 50 is very good outdoors, it tends to colour distort at long exposures or under fluoresent lighting, developing a green tinge. This photo of the Baillieu Library at the University of Melbourne highlights this perfectly.

Perhaps one of the more challenging parts of the whole process was not the photography, but the scanning. The Perfection V500 is a powerful piece of equipment and indeed the scanning resolution is phenomenal. Using a series of customised templates that rest on the flatbed scanner, every slide is in focus. However, I had considerable trouble preventing the software from automatically cropping my slides.

Unfortunately the scanner doesn’t come with any manual and their electronic guide was initially confusing. Each time I would specify the size of the image I wanted to scan (by selecting the area) then would set the resolution and the slide size, but it would simply revert back to its preferred size and crop it anyway.

I eventually figured out the source of the problem. For anyone using the Epson Scan software programme, here’s the simple resolution:

(1) Using the drop-down menu, choose “Professional Mode” (if you haven’t alread)

(2) Under the “Preview” button, untick the “Thumbnail” checkbox. This way, full control is maintained over the scanned images.

Now that I have the scanning sorted out, it’s now time to try out all the different films:

What I have in my camera currently: Fujifilm Velvia 100

What I have sitting in my fridge: Ilford PANF+50, Ilford Delta 3200

What I am keen to try: Fujifilm Velvia 100F, Fujifilm Provia 400F, Ilford SFX 200, Fujifilm T64, Fujifilm Sensia 100, Kodak Ektachrome E100VS and more…. there are just so many to try!

Today is National Tree Day, a community event designed to co-ordinate tree-planting programmes across Australia and raise awareness of the important role trees have in our environment.

In celebration of this event and as part of the Melbourne Design Festival (who sponsored the Melbourne Open House), the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre have commissioned famous French artist/botanist Patrick Blanc to create a Mur Végétale or “wall of plants” in Melbourne.

Patrick Blanc’s “Le Mur Végétale” at Melbourne Central.

Measuring a massive 40 square metres, this amazing vertical garden features a range of ferns and tropical species including African Violets (Saintpaulia) and bromeliads. The garden is mounted on the wall beside the historic Coop’s Shot Tower building under the huge glass dome at Melbourne Central.

Whilst Le Mur Végétale would be able to utilise some of the natural light in the shopping centre for photosynthesis, supplementary lighting has been provided to permit better plant growth and to highlight the artwork.

Living plants clean the air at Melbourne Central.

I really enjoy art like this. It’s detailed, its unique, it’s attractive and it’s eye-catching.

As I walked past the work today, I noticed many shoppers were stopping to admire Blanc’s living artpiece, which surely must have taken months of planning and execution.

Shoppers enjoying “Le Mur Végétale” at Melbourne Central.

Blanc has become famous the world over for his elaborate vertical gardens. The botanist cum vertical landscape designer is probably best recognised for his living wall on the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris, but has completed dozens of other projects internationally.

Le Mur Végétale is a three-part system consisting of a PVC layer, felt, and metal frame, providing a soil-free self-supporting system light enough to be hung on the wall and weighing less than 30 kilograms per square metre. Cuttings, seedlings and mature plants are then added to create the living vertical garden.

In a recent lecture given at the Federation Square and reported on the MIDF blog, Blanc explained that he’s first and foremost a botanist who approaches his work from a scientific perspective rather than an aesthetic one. The positioning of plants is as much about allowing each to receive an ideal amont of light with consideration given to the requirements of each species used, before any aesthetic considerations come into play.

Looking past “Le Mur Végétale” to the historic Coop’s Shot Tower (left)
and a young woman enjoys a rest beside the vertical garden.

Whilst these gardens technically have the capacity to continue growing in perpetuum, it is unclear whether the Melbourne Central installation will be a permanent fixture or not. The MIDF blog claims that the fixture will be permanent and I do hope they’re correct.

If true, there would certainly be a lot of ongoing work required to maintain this garden over an extended period, ensuring the survival and/or replacement of all the specimen plants periodically, and ensuring that the plants are fertilised sufficiently.

That said, Blanc’s artwork brings considerable environmental benefits. Aside from carbon assimilation, all of the water used in Le Mur Végétale is routinely recycled, having been sourced from the centre’s airconditioning units.

“Le Mur Végétale” is located adjacent to the historic Coop’s Shot Tower.

Regardless of the longevity of this particular work, it’s been great to see one of Blanc’s amazing vertical gardens here in Melbourne. It’s certainly added a unique talking point to the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre.