In celebration of the 2021 Melbourne Writers Festival, 11 original works of fiction and non-fiction were specially commissioned to reflect life in Melbourne.
The featured writers include Timmah Ball, Mandy Beaumont, Melanie Cheng, Maddee Clark, Stephanie Convery, Elena Gomez, Luke Horton, Laura McPhee-Browne, Thuy On, Ronnie Scott and Nova Weetman.
Excerpts of their texts will feature on the Metro Tunnel's City Square hoardings, with each text illustrated by local artists Nyein Chan Aung, Marc Martin and Jackie Nguyen.
About the designer
Heather Walker is the graphic designer of the Writing Melbourne hoarding artwork. Heather is fascinated by typography. She creates custom typographic solutions, ranging from hand-lettered artworks and bespoke branding, through to developing fonts. Her keen eye for design and typography is evident in her colourful, geometric visual style.
Dr Nyein Chan Aung
About the artist
Dr Nyein Chan Aung is an industrial designer and artist, and currently a Senior Design Researcher at Monash University's Design Health Collab, where he oversees high-impact healthcare services and med-tech designs.
Artist statement
‘My illustrations consider three aspects: the narrator, 'Melburnians' (humans and animals) and Melbourne itself. Each element appears vividly in every frame. You can see vignettes of Melbourne residents playfully co-existing with the narrator, while being enveloped in the iconic sights and scenes of the city.’
Marc Martin
About the artist
Marc Martin is an award-winning artist, illustrator and author. He works across commercial illustration, editorial work, children’s picture books and fine art for gallery shows and commissions. His picture book A River was named a Best Illustrated Picture Book by The New York Times.
Artist statement
‘I have tried to respond to each piece of writing in a way that takes into account each story’s unique voice and tone. The illustrative style for each piece is loose and expressive, interpreting the text in a way that gives the viewer a starting point to build their own internal visualisation without being too prescriptive.’
Jackie Nguyen
About the artist
Jackie Nguyen is a Melbourne-based freelance designer working in visual development across animation, games and commercial projects. She is also an illustrator for editorial work and children's picture books.
Artist statement
‘I have always been fascinated by the relationship between colour, lighting and form. They have the power to combine and completely transform a space in the most magical way. I felt connected to these moments in the text and tried to reflect that feeling in my illustrations.’