Our public space mark-making project returned to MPavilion this September. After a successful iteration with SURFACITY in 2025, Chris Parkinson and I were invited to bring back our fencing, boards and painting tools to University Square, for a week of artist residencies, workshops, and collaborative mark-making.
COME WRITE HERE took place between 21-23 September 2026 at MPavillion Parkville and included one-day residencies by the super talented –
2 Halves as A Whole (Paige Templeton and Ali Bangato), who brought memes, Reddit, and digital aesthetics to the panels;
Ayisha Kirana, who taught visitors how to screen-print and cut their own stencils;
and Alfe Pereira, who flicked paint onto the boards with his bare hands to make portraits appear like magic, much to the enchantment of everyone who witnessed his performance.
Chris and I took the roles of curators and facilitators, to pursue our interest in creating possibilities for public mark-making in the city. Many of the folks who 🔸 🔹 CAME to WRITE HERE 🔸 🔹 with us had never held a spray can, pasted a poster, or cut a stencil, and the fun and wonder these activities brought were at the core of our approach for the project.
2025: SURFACITY
2026: COME WRITE HERE
2007 —
With thanks as ever to the fantastic project team at MPavilion Parkville, particularly Nicky Pastore and Jack Stafford, to Juan Castro for the photographs, and to Chris Parkinson, who remains my favourite partner in creative ideation and experimentation.
