Renowned American artist Keith Haring visited Melbourne in 1984 as part of his international art tour. During his stay, Haring created three murals, including one at the Collingwood Technical School (now the Collingwood Arts Precinct) on Johnston Street. This mural, the largest and only surviving work of the three, features Haring’s signature dancing figures and radiant motifs. Completed in a single day using his freehand style, the mural embodies his mission to make art inclusive and accessible, using public spaces as his canvas.
The Collingwood mural, one of only 31 surviving public murals by Haring worldwide and the sole example in Australia, is a landmark of 1980s street art and was added to the Victorian Heritage Register in 2004. However, over decades, it suffered significant deterioration due to the inherently short lifespan of the acrylic paint.
In 2010, Arts Victoria (now Creative Victoria) commissioned rba to develop a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for the Keith Haring mural. The plan aimed to assess the mural's deterioration and provide a framework for its preservation within the broader context of the adaptive reuse of the former Collingwood Technical School. Developed in collaboration with various experts and community stakeholders—including Wendy Bigami, the Keith Haring Foundation, Hannah Matthews, the National Trust of Victoria, and the Yarra City Council—the CMP built on previous conservation works by Andrew Thorn, identifying significant conservation issues. The issues included chalking and pigment fading, which resulted from the breakdown of the paint’s binder due to the interaction of titanium dioxide with UV light, water, and oxygen. During these investigations, the ‘missing piece,’ a small timber door featuring Haring’s signature and the kneeling ‘Radiant Baby,’ was also located and returned. The door had been stolen sometime after the mural was completed. A plain panel remains in its place today due to protect it from further vandalism.
The CMP presented two potential approaches for addressing the mural’s deterioration: restoration through overpainting to replicate its original appearance or conservation through minimal intervention to stabilize and repair the existing layers. The latter approach was identified as the preferred option and was ultimately adopted by Arts Victoria, despite overpainting being the more widely used method for restoring Haring’s work during this period.
That same year, Italian conservator Antonio Rava was brought in to lead the conservation works having previous experience restoring the San Antonio church mural in Pisa. His team cleaned the mural with erasers, removed graffiti, stabilised peeling paint, and applied anti-graffiti coatings. Careful consideration ensured the restoration respected Haring’s vision, with guidance from his estate.
While works to the Collingwood mural were being undertaken, Haring's 1987 Carmine Street Mural in Greenwich Village, New York, was also being restored using the alternative approach. The results of this overpainting approach can be seen in the accompanying photograph. It is also worth noting that the Carmine Street Mural, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, has recently attracted attention due to development pressures that may impact its continued preservation.
Today, the Collingwood mural remains a treasured cultural landmark, inspiring ongoing discussions about urban art, cultural preservation, and the challenges of conserving ephemeral works. Its conservation has safeguarded a vital piece of Melbourne's artistic heritage.
コメント