BY SHANNON VALENTINE

Melbourne's Town Hall is playing host to 11 original works of writing commissioned by the Metro Tunnel Creative Program for this year's Writers Festival.

The program is one of multiple creative programs displayed across the Melbourne CBD. The various Metro Tunnel Projects are designed to artistically engage city goers in a COVID-safe manner as Melbourne opens up post-lockdown.

The program showcases an array of fiction and nonfiction prose from prominent Australian writers accompanied by illustrations on the walls of the Town Hall Station Metro Tunnel construction site.

Featured artist, industrial designer and researcher Dr Nyein Chan Aung said the accessibility to the murals in a prime Melbourne location is a great honour for him as an artist.

“You can stop and read everything, or you could just look at the art and take a few minutes, they’re non intrusive,” Dr Aung said.

There are 11 writers and three artists in total on show across the 11 works, with prominent names such as Mandy Beaumont, Timmah Ball and Melanie Cheng featured along the outside of the Town Hall.

Featured writer Nova Weetman said she looks forward to her work ‘Food Shaped Memories’ connecting with passers-by walking through the city, which describes how food connected her to her community and family during lockdown.

“I think the wonder of public art can really improve your day,” Ms Weetman said. 

“I know when I see a sculpture or large artworks in cities I feel very moved by them and I want to engage.”

While the majority of the program takes place online through podcasts and workshops, the murals on public display are a physical aspect of the Melbourne Writers Festival, serving as a means for artists to exhibit their creations to a broader audience.

“We don't often extend [this type of public] engagement to writing, and I think this project has amazing potential because it is so public and so diverse,” Ms Weetman said.

As Melbourne emerges from its sixth lockdown and moves towards its 80 per cent vaccination target, Dr Aung said he hopes the project will reinvigorate the community’s love for the former most liveable city. 

“The pieces are very much about our collective love and appreciation for Melbourne,” Dr Aung said.

“Everything about Melbourne is great…each piece represents how we feel about the city.”

The works will remain in the city until the end of October, with other creative programs and public art to be discovered at the other six Metro Tunnel station locations.