It took just 10 days to install the 25-square-metre mosaic mural on the turret of the building that houses the dodgem car ride, but the work took Pamela Irving most of 2011 to construct.
It was created in her studio in Patterson Road, Bentleigh, and by the end of the year the personality-filled characters had taken over the space.
The completed work is adjacent to a mural the artist made in 2010 to celebrate Luna Park’s 98th birthday. For continuity, Irving used the same cobalt blue tile background, representative of the sea nearby.
Irving says her work is inspired by people and situations around her. In her latest mural she sticks close to home.
The six-metre-tall, curly haired figure wearing a green patchwork skirt and an “expression of wonder and delight” represents the artist’s daughter, Phoebe.
The grinning green cat reminds Irving of her son, Sebastian, who has a smile like a Cheshire cat. Inside the body is a Wedgewood figurine of a Beatrix Potter rabbit dressed as Merlin the Magician.
The artist is constantly sourcing old china (chipped or broken is OK) and recycled goods to incorporate into her work.
Irving’s husband, Benjamin, has a curious obsession with hats so the Genie of the Dodgem Cars wears a fez. The little antique cow in the small car that the genie holds was another “recycled discovery”.
The artist’s grandparents are also recalled. The large HA HA figure with a peg leg was part of an imaginary story Irving shared with her grandmother, and the swallow tattoos on the other leg represent the Swallow and Ariell Biscuit Factory in Port Melbourne where her grandfather worked for most of his life.
Tattoos also appear on the figure’s arms (how very 2012) and refer to a couple of Luna Park employees who have helped Irving. One, a big red heart, symbolises executive director Mary Stuart, who is passionate about the park. The other is for Dalida Azur, the carpenter who helped with the installation of the murals.
Red dog: Pamela Irving (left) and her creation Larry La Trobe.
ROB THOMAS
As well as working on the cherry picker with Irving, Azur has collected shards of crockery for the artist. Early last century the Luna Park site was a rubbish tip and Azur, while repairing the scenic railway, has come across many broken bits of china. The entire face of the large HA HA figure has been created using pieces found at Luna Park.
In the artist’s words, “the HA HA represents the joy and laughter which rings out across the park”.
While not represented by any single figure, Pamela Irving, with her sunny outlook on life, is omnipresent in this enormously enjoyable mural that will delight people of all ages whenever they visit Luna Park.
And we mustn’t forget to mention Larry, the loveable larrikin dog who is a regular feature in Irving’s work. You’ve met him before in Collins Street, opposite the Town Hall. Cast in bronze and called Larry La Trobe, he’s every Melburnian’s favourite dog.
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