The Girl in the Shop Window

Image source Taj Kempe

Artist: Marina Lommerse, Michael Phillips

Asset Type: Mural

Year of Work: 2020

Location: 72 Forrest St

Provenance: Shire of Collie

Description: “Collie residents remember the events that entertained them in shop windows as much as the goods on display. The scene depicted in the mural was inspired by archival research and conversations with long-term locals.

One intriguing story was the travelling hypnotist who put people to sleep and then displayed them in a shop window – selling tickets for the public to view.

Black and white TVs were introduced to Collie in the 1950s. Townspeople crowded around shop windows for a good possie. We set the scene with mid-century modern furniture and Manchester goods on display, in a black and white world of early television.

What is that bird in the crowd? Is it an emu? Is it a swan? It is, in fact, a man in a swan costume and was inspired by a photo we discovered in the Coalfields Museum.

During the painting process local Aboriginal Elder, James Kahn, requested we incorporate an image. See if you can find it.” Marina Lommerse and Michael Phillips

The mural was researched, conceived, developed and then painted through a collaborative process facilitated by Michael and Marina.

Michael and Marina kickstarted Mural Studio in 2020 to collaboratively undertake a mural painting process while also offering educational and social opportunities. The Mural Studio team was made up of a temporary Collie resident, architecture and interior architecture students and graduates, and our friends and family.

Local stories and archival research: Yvonne Hammond, Gloria Mathews, Margaret Bates, Tom Reardon, Tania Roberts, Alison Melvin, Nola Green, James Kahn Mural Studio
Artist team: Clifford Scanlan, Jack Holmes, Robyn Duncan
Collie community collaborator: Thamarat Phokai