More UooUoos

The Gaals from AnArt4Life - UooUoo spotting

A few weeks ago we introduced you to UooUoos - a mythical creature designed for an Art Trail in Melbourne and fund raiser for the Royal Children's Hospital 150th Anniversary.

To refresh your memory here is the previous post:

The Me and UooUoo Art Trail
100 UooUoos are scattered around Melbourne and Geelong finding a home in laneways, streets, parks and public spaces, bringing colour and creativity with a spectacular public art trail, in honour of the 150th anniversary of The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Melbourne.Credit: uoouoo.org.au

Of the 100 UooUoos around Melbourne and surrounding suburbs, UooUoonicorn is the most popular. One reason would be its prominent position in Federation Square, just across from one of Melbourne's main commuter railway stations - Flinders Street.

As you can see below, it has a whimsical quality:

By Fiona Tweddle and Janie Fearon it embodies the childlike simplicity of naïve art and has been designed to inspire happiness and positivity with inspirational quotes. You cannot help but feel happy when viewing UooUoonicorn.1

UooUoonicorn

Julie fell in love with Great Barrier Reef Dreaming. It's off the beaten track a little, as otherwise we felt it would rival UooUoonicorn.

By Melanie Hava is inspired by her traditional country, bordering the National Park of Wooroonooran in Queensland. In this UooUoo you can see many different species of vibrant fish and corals native to Melanie’s country. Maybe you can find them yourself swimming in the beautiful Great Barrier Reef! 1

Great Barrier Reef Dreaming

Caroline got us started and Jane's goal was to spot 50 - recording her findings on the well designed UooUoo app - which included a map and the totals spotted by her as well as all collectors.

Julie and Jane spent a relaxing day roaming through the city and we notched up 22! As you can see below, some are located outside historic or slick city buildings, which include:

  • Top from left: Melbourne University, The Artc Centre and Southern Cross Station with a background of modern city skyscrapers.
  • Bottom from left: Melbourne Exhibition Building and Melbourne City Baths built at the turn of the C19th in the glory years of Marevellous Melbourne, post Gold Rush; Docklands, filled with modern apartment buildings.

And below, the girls had a lot of fun taking happy snaps throughout the day.

On another day Anne and Jane wandered around St Kilda, a beachside suburb close to the city and home to Luna Park.

The UooUoos look right at home, amongst buildings, along the beach and in parklands.

One of the more unusual UooUoos is Uoodinoo:

By Russ Brebner is a futuristic creature whose magnetic skin has attracted metallic junk. Uoodinoo drags these items with him as he roams the earth. Global warming has left the earth uninhabitable for humans and only the toughest of creatures remain. Inspired by dinosaurs and dragons, Uoodinoo hopes to promote recycling and eco awareness.1

Jane decided it looked like a very cute but much smaller Brontosaurus from the age of the dinosaurs.

A selection of 6 UooUoos have been made into ceramic ornaments by Maxwell and Williams - jane couldn't resist Tulip, which harks back to her Dutch heritage and reminded her of the real one spotted in the shopping precint of Bourke Street Mall:

By Pete Cromer, Tulip fuses bright floral hues with themes of growth and colour to evoke joy and positivity.1

You will be pleased to know Jane achieved her target, spotting 50 UooUoos. The app indicates 22 is the average and in total fellow collectors have clocked up an amazing 174,465 sightings.

It was pleasant way of spending a day exploring the length and breadth of Melbourne following an Art Trail of UooUoos - so many wonderful designs.

Of the few we have showcased today - which one is your favourite?

Credits
All photos are my own
1 UooUoo Details taken from uoouoo.org.au