The Women’s Mural Documentation Project in collaboration with Her Place Women’s Museum Australia, and artists Megan Evans and Eve Glenn present Re-imagining The Women's Mural – a virtual tour.

The original Women's Mural: Bomboniere to Barbed Wire, a 150 x 12 metre public artwork originally located at the Gas and Fuel site in Smith Street, Fitzroy, was created and painted by Megan Evans and Eve Glenn in 1986. This mammoth undertaking was completed by the artists after speaking with and photographing many women who lived in the then culturally diverse suburb of Northcote. From these consultations with the women, the artists wished to create an artwork that captured the everyday lives of women who lived, worked and studied in the area as a counter response to the large-scale sexist advertising that became prominent in the streets in the 1980s. Thirty years later, in February 2016 the mural was defaced by a notorious tagger and this act created a swell of community outcry and commentary on the future of the mural – would it be repainted and preserved in some way, perhaps re-imagined by contemporary female street artists or, like all street art, the vagaries of time had determined that it would fade away? In the end, this much-loved artwork succumbed to urban pressure and in October 2019, the final demise of the Women’s Mural came, as the wall was demolished for the redevelopment of the Gas and Fuel site by the State Government.

Now that the original Women’s Mural no longer exists, we are excited to make available this digital iteration of the mural. You can now digitally experience one of Australia's most significant feminist murals via mobile and electronic devices. Explore its continuing relevance to the experiences of women in Australia through music, text, images, links and audio interviews that trace the history of this remarkable mural and much-loved Melbourne icon, from its creation to the present day.

How to navigate the virtual tour:
Click and drag your mouse to move around. The tour starts in 1986, simply click on each of the 3 circle icons to explore the story of the original mural created by artists, Megan Evans and Eve Glenn. To continue the tour click on 2019 (bottom right) and then click on each of the 3 circle icons to follow over 30-years of history of the mural.
For use on mobile devices we recommend viewing the tour fullscreen please click on the link “Click for fullscreen” above the tour.

The Women's Mural Documentation Project and Her Place Women's Museum Australia gratefully acknowledge the support of the Victorian Government and Public Record Office Victoria for making this project possible.

We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation as the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which this project was created. We recognise that sovereignty was never ceded, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

The digital platform for Re-imagining the Women's Mural – a virtual tour was designed by Digital Heritage Australia.

Awarded The Archival Survival Award for Volunteer-Run Museums/Galleries at the Australian Museums and Galleries Association Victoria 2020 Victorian Museums and Galleries Awards.
Highly Commended at The Museums Australasia Multimedia and Publication Design Awards (MAPDA) 2020.