After a day of vintage shopping on Smith Street in Collingwood late in 2012, I came across a gorgeous piece of street art. A bright green fish was found swimming up the side of a building, bringing life to its concrete surrounds. Back then, the fish was showing slight signs of decay. I returned to Smith Street a couple of months ago, only to discover a more ghastly scene. The fish was decaying beyond repair, its flesh disintegrating to expose its skeleton underneath.
Melbourne’s ever-changing street art scene brings renewed life to the city’s streets and alleyways, yet the artist here has evolved his or her own art to tell a story in three parts. Usually, street artists create over the top of others’ work to bring about a brand new piece of art.
I returned to the fish again recently, only to find that it met its fate with a nasty fisherman’s hook. The fish on Smith Street is now dead.
