Melbourne bus stop transformed into 1970s living room
All aboard to funkytown.
Commuters using a stop on the 546 bus route in Melbourne, Australia, would have got a surprise on to find it transformed into a 1970s living room.
The stop, on Heidelberg Road, Alphington, has been fitted out with an orange and brown cushioned lounge, a curtained window and retro wallpaper adorned with kitsch artwork and a pot plant.
Artists Jill and Suse, who only want to be known by their first names, "reclaimed the space" in the early hours of the morning using only secondhand and recycled materials.
"It's to create something out of the ordinary to break up the urban landscape from concrete and advertising," Suse said.
"There's splashes of joy on people's faces as they drive past. It's a really beautiful experience."
It's not the first time the stop has been renovated.
Jill, who was the lead artist in the project, turned it into a 1950s lounge room in January last year.
When a table was stolen from the installation, it was soon replaced with a new one and a sign saying "don't touch, we're watching you".
There was little wonder over who gifted it with the Hell's Angels headquarters equipped with CCTV cameras across the road.
It lasted six months before the installation was taken down by authorities.
Another bus stop on the corner of Separation and Victoria Streets in Northcote has been covered with nature photographs cut out of 1970s and 1980s National Geographic magazines.
"When I was doing a little touch-up gluing a week after installation, people came from their houses to thank me," Jill said.
"A woman told me in broken English that it was very good because before, they all waited for the bus in silence, and now they all talk."
Could guerrilla bus stop renovations be the new yarn bombing?
Suse thinks so, saying she'd like all Melbourne bus stops refurbished similarly.
"I envision art in public spaces everywhere."
What a lovely idea. Have you ever passed this stop?
Written by Chloe Booker. First appeared on Stuff.co.nz. Image credit: Simon Schluter / Stuff.co.nz.