Transporting Art (Tramsporting Art) Feb 10, 2000

Transporting Art (Tramsporting Art), Article

Feb 5, 2000

Writer: Kate Herbert

Whatever happened to those bizarre and controversial painted trams that livened up our roads in the 80's?

The trams, decorated by major artists, were valuable cultural and financial assets to our community but they disappeared off our roads without even an annoying ding of a tram bell to herald their mass exodus.

Norm Cross, tram afficionado and supervisor at Preston tramways depot, has the answer. The first 16, painted in the late 70's, were lost to us when they were sold at public auction to Jim Johnston, an individual who proposed to make a public display of them .

This group were wooden body trams which deteriorated from neglect and exposure.

"They were parked on a site, sitting on blocks and they started to crack and bend and twist and windows were broken," Cross recalls.

For financial reasons, they were sold on again but, this time, they started to leave the country - until the government and National Trust stopped their passports.

The painted tram history started in a restaurant in Collins Street in the late 1970's. Clifton Pugh, who was an ALP supporter, had lunch with Sir Rupert Hamer An all-over advertising tram passed by and Pugh suggested painting one himself. Hamer put it to parliament where both sides of the house supported the idea . The rest is art history.

Six trams were painted by major Australian artists as part of the first campaign. In August 1978, Mirka Mora painted the first tram, followed by Andrew Southall, Mike Brown, Les Kossatz then, in November, Clifton Pugh and Peter Corrigan.

The six were the beginning of a revolutionary form of public art known as Transporting Art. Another ten were commissioned by The Victorian Ministry for the Arts (now Arts Victoria) and Ministry of Transport through the Tramways. By 1982, there were 16 rolling artworks on our tram tracks.

Another 19 were commissioned by government in the early 80's and sponsors were attached to help maintain them. This entire second set was conserved. They are now hibernating in the Newport Tram Workshops, safe from marauding foreign buyers but unappreciated by all but tramway workers.

The first group was less fortunate. Four escaped to the USA- two to Memphis, one to Seattle and another to an unknown destination. Two are owned by a Perth hotel, one is running in Bendigo. A couple were rescued and preserved in back yards of art lovers.

Mirka Mora's angel-covered tram is the happiest. She is nestled in a beautiful garden in Mt Eliza with a foster family. Her natural mum is still in contact.

Howard Arkley's tram now resides in Seymour. Cross recalls it was in a head-on collision. "One end was bashed in and it was never repaired."

Clifton Pugh's tram still sits at Preston awaiting a facelift by one of Pugh's apprentices. One side was wiped out in an accident, says Cross. Sponsors agreed to pay for maintenance and upkeep but many were less than reliable foster parents. Pugh agreed to repaint it himself for nix when he returned from Paris but he died before he could finish it.

Michael Nation, Acting Visual Arts Executive when Transporting Art began recalls one of the great assets of the project.

"There was a wonderful interface between the artists and the tramways apprentices."

Some young signwriters were even invited to help with the paintings in the mode of the Rennaisance schools

Brian Carter supervised the tramways painting workshop and was part of the panel which judged the fist competiton for designs. Each artist did a painting for him, based on the pallette used in his or her tram.  He has thirty mementos of the project. Lucky Brian!

There are some tram horror stories too. One sad little car was hacked in half and attached to Hungry Jack's in Melton. It has disappeared, according to a young burger manager.

Several were broken up or damaged. The funky tram by pop band Mental as Anything was painted over. "It was out of their hands", Cross remembers. The cars were no longer the property of the Tramways or Arts Victoria, so no more could be done to reclaim them.

Peter Corrigan's tram was the most controversial and was taken of the road when it caused a furore in 1979. It flew Japanese flags. One side read, "Sayonara Koala" the other, "Mother Knows". The tramways Union and the public saw this as a swipe at Australian World War Two veterans.

From the 21st century, the uproar seems an overreaction  Bring back the painted trams- even the naughty ones! Melbourne loved them!

by Kate Herbert