And after all, Port’s our Wonderwall

""

Port Adelaide will once again become a giant, interactive canvas with the announcement that the hugely popular Wonderwalls street art festival will return next year.

Local, national and international artists will transform the Port into an open air gallery with large scale murals, artist talks and entertainment during the free three-day festival from April 21 to 23.

More than 20 artists took part in the inaugural South Australian Wonderwalls festival in January 2015 transforming key sites — such as the Marine and Harbours building on St Vincent Street and Harts Mill — into vibrant art installations.

The Wonderwalls festival brings together the best mural artists from around the world and is presented by Renewal SA and artist collective The Hours and project managers Verb Syndicate, together with City of Port Adelaide Enfield and art suppliers Ironlak and Taubmans.

Background

The 2015 Wonderwalls Festival in Port Adelaide resulted in the creation of artworks which contribute to the unique character and identity of Port Adelaide.

The Wonderwalls movement was started by The Hours and Verb Syndicate in Wollongong in 2011 and is celebrated as one of the leading street art festivals in Australia.

The festival is one of the State Government’s initiatives aimed at revitalising and rejuvenating the Port Adelaide precinct, to have more people living, working, investing and spending time in the port.

Earlier this year, the State Government announced $280 million of private investment would transform nearly 23 hectares of waterfront land for housing, retail, community and commercial uses.

Renewal SA is working with the community to create a ‘living port’ that celebrates the maritime past while embracing the future.

Quotes attributable to:

Housing and Urban Development Minister Stephen Mullighan

The Wonderwalls Festival is a unique and interactive arts experience which has added to the vibrancy and regeneration of the Port with a range of striking and iconic street art.

Anyone who has visited the Port in the past couple of years would find it hard to miss the giant murals on the old Marine and Harbours building which send a signal that this precinct is a place of renewal.

The $280 million of private developments announced earlier this year includes a proposal by Starfish Developments to redevelop this building for apartments, retail, an observation deck and outdoor cinema. Starfish also committed to maintaining these murals.

The Wonderwalls Festival will draw visitors and locals together to create and experience large scale works which will contribute to the identity of the Port Adelaide precinct.

The interactive exhibitions will transform blank walls into stunning works of art entirely unique to Port Adelaide.

Returning Wonderwalls Artistic Director Joel Van Moore

(Joel paints under the pseudonym Vans the Omega )

The opportunity to once again bring the festival to South Australia is an exciting prospect.

Wonderwalls grows from strength to strength each year and the 2017 Port Adelaide festival is shaping up to be bigger and better than ever before.

Wonderwalls brings together some of the world’s most highly acclaimed street artists to work alongside Adelaide’s finest and we expect some of the murals to be the largest ever seen in Australia.