Ballarat public art trial to prevent graffiti begins on iconic building

Starting on Monday, visual improvements will be made to the wall at the Little Bridge Street and Main Road intersections.

Ballarat artist Spencer Harrison has designed a vibrant mural for the wall, inspired by the architecture and history of the site, the iconic Stone's clothing store which is now Intersport.

The City of Ballarat is commissioning the work to trial public art as a form of graffiti prevention. Research indicates that public art and murals reduce the likelihood of the space being subject to graffiti.

The council will assess the effectiveness of the mural at preventing graffiti and look for further opportunities to improve the community through public art and other initiatives.

City of Ballarat mayor Des Hudson is happy to see the City of Ballarat trialing innovative initiatives to address community concerns across the city.

"We know no one likes to see graffiti in our community, which is why the City of Ballarat is working on important initiatives that look to improve the city's streetscapes," Cr Hudson said.

"The bright colours of the mural will be a welcome sight in this area, and to be able to reference the design to the iconic Stone's in Bridge Mall is wonderful to see.

"Ballarat has an impressive collection of public art. Public art is important because it's exactly that, it's public, it's free, and it's open to everyone."

The City of Ballarat's announcement on Friday morning comes after Sturt Street business owners contacted The Courier last week, saying they were fed up with tagging in the heart of Ballarat.

They supported the idea to have murals painted on blank walls.

Cartridge Universe manager and owner Sharon David said graffiti made Ballarat look trashy and deterred people from visiting.

"When people see this sort of stuff they get the idea that lowlifes live here and we don't want that sort of attitude associated with our town," Ms David said.

Western Hotel supervisor Henry Wines said it would be amazing to have murals added to the city to stop graffiti.

According to Ballarat Police, tagging was at its lowest level in at least a decade with a reported 60 offences in 2022.

The inspiration behind the mural layout on the former Stone's wall, is the geometric grid structure on the original Stone's store.

Mr Harrison said the artwork would explore the modern world and our urban environment, inspired by the historic architecture.

The colours chosen reflect a warm colour palette reminiscent of colours that might have been used in the 1950s and 1960s fashion available in the store during the era the current building was constructed.

"I use colour, light and abstraction to create work that explores the modern world and the link to the iconic clothing store, and this should be evident in the bright mural that I will create," Mr Harris said.

"To simulate the transparency and sheen of light on fabric, I will carefully apply the colours to the grid structure of the original facade."

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The mural will be maintained by the building owner, with the artist conducting an annual quality review.

Touch-ups of the mural will be addressed if needed to ensure the artwork's brilliance is maintained for the duration of the two-year installation.

It is anticipated that the mural installation will take several weeks to complete.

The mural will be the latest addition to the City of Ballarat's temporary public art collections featuring established and emerging artists.

Some of the current displays can be found at the Gallery Annexe Wall in Alfred Deakin Place, Unicorn Lane exhibition space, and the Grieving Mother statue at the Garden of the Grieving Mother memorial.

Visit creativeballarat.com.au for self-guided tours of public art throughout the city, more information on emerging artists, installations and future creative opportunities across the city.

- with Malvika Hemanth