Melbourne Festival, Creative Victoria and Yarra Trams have announced the third year of the Melbourne Art Trams project – a public art project that transforms Melbourne’s iconic trams into moving works of art travelling across the city.
This year they are inviting artists to take inspiration from Melbourne’s architectural landscape and design a tram that responds to how design and architecture define the character of the city.
The project continues the revival and re-imagining of the much loved Transporting Art program which ran from 1978 to 1993 and resulted in 36 painted trams being rolled out across the Melbourne network. Artists such as Howard Arkley, Mirka Mora, Michael Leunig, Elizabeth Gower and Trevor Nichols participated in this program.
2013 marked the inaugural year for Melbourne Art Trams and the following artists were selected to participate: Bindi Cole, David Wadelton, Luke Cornish, Rose Nolan, Jon Campbell, Brook Andrew and a collaboration from Joining Forces and emerging artist Freya Pitt. 2014 brought together works from Jeff Makin, Christian Thompson, Janine Daddo, Rone, James Cattell, Kristin Headlam and emerging artist Callum Croker.
In 2015, another eight trams adorned with eight artworks are to be rolled out onto the Yarra Trams network as part of the visual arts program of Melbourne Festival. Artworks will be generated as digital images which will be outputted onto adhesive vinyl and applied to the trams.
For more information and application process, visit: www.melbournefestival.com.au for details. Submissions close 29 May 2015.
Image: Callum Crocker, Parrot Tulip Tram, Melbourne Art Tram Project 2014 – photo courtesy of Melbourne Festival