The construction of Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel has had a mixed reception.
The promise of more trains to combat overcrowded lines might be welcome, but the multiple construction sites across the CBD and a finish date of 2025 have ruffled some feathers.
One of these sites, the former location of City Square on Swanston Street, has been adopted by two Melbourne locals as the muse for their project.
The Big Hole is an experimental book curated by Izzy Hardisty and Selena Repanis, featuring work from writers and artists across the country. The idea is to document the excavation site for Town Hall Station and create a tribute that will exist long after the hole is filled in.
“The way we have spoken about and described the hole has always been cheeky and fairly bizarre, and it feels great to encourage people to imagine something inanimate as something lifelike,” says Selena.
Submitters were asked to interpret the prompt of ‘the big hole’ in any way they chose. Some have responded to the Swanston Street site itself, while others have taken a more abstract approach.
The project was born from Izzy’s own infatuation with the Big Hole, which prompted a number of written and collage pieces.
With the idea that the Metro Tunnel and its impact on city life might be of as much interest to others, she approached friend and graphic designer Selena with the idea of putting together the book.
While a majority of contributions have from Melbourne, the self and community-funded project has attracted interstate and even international interest.
Of the book’s reach, Izzy says, “Although our big hole is situated in Melbourne or Narrm, everyone seems to have their own big hole story, and I didn’t see any reason why the project couldn’t be expanded.”
The Big Hole is set for publication in November.
(Feature image: Swanston Street window, allowing passersby to view works in the Big Hole. Photo: Selena Repanis.)
