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Anyone who has recently ventured into Melbourne's inner city may have noticed some of the city's new concrete security bollards have been given colourful makeovers.
More than 200 bollards have been installed around the city to prevent the type of vehicle-based attack recently seen in Berlin, London and — closer to home — Melbourne's Bourke Street.
It did not take long for artists to put their own touch on the temporary concrete cubes, covering them with colourful material and graffiti art.
For now, the local council says the art will remain untouched as it does not breach any rules, but the bollards will eventually be replaced with permanent structures like seats and plant boxes.
But what do Melburnians thinks of the efforts to beautify the blocks?
Calum Morgan is from Scotland but has lived in Melbourne for five years.
"People here take bits and pieces and make it their own. They are embracing graffiti [art] more and it is awesome. I love it," he said.
Finlay Darrah, visiting Mr Morgan from Scotland, said the bollard art humanised the city.
"It takes away the grey, because there's random grey bollards and now it's colour and individualism, it's nice to see. It's more human.
"Obviously the reasons they're here is not fantastic, but people are making the best of it."
Tracey Hayball, visiting the city from Mooroolbark in Melbourne's east, said her child played on the bollards, so bright colours were welcome.
"I think we need the colours [in the city], otherwise it's too drab," she said.
"I think they should be a lot more colourful. And people are just going to graffiti them anyway, so you might as well get them nice and bright."
Sarah Boyle from Northcote welcomed the art but said seeing the bollards was challenging.
"It just reminds you that we can't even trust walking along in the city," she said.
"It just makes you feel insecure in your own city.
"They look nice, they're pretty boring without being painted, so why not?"
Ciara James, a city worker from Bacchus Marsh, declared the bollard art "very Melbourne".
"They are really ugly so I think it's nice that people are putting in a little bit of effort into making them a little bit happier, especially seeing as why they're here," she said.
"I think Melbourne's quite resilient, I think it's also artistic.
"I think it's a nice little throwback to what Melbourne's about and things aren't going to affect us. Ugly things always end up beautiful in Melbourne."
Malcolm Hill, a musician from Reservoir, said the bollard art was "a spontaneous creative reaction".
"It's fantastic. I like them, the colours.
"I like the community spirit, showing that playfulness and colourfulness in face of horribleness.
"It's a strike back in a creative way."
Maverick Jang, a fashion designer from Korea, initially mistook the art as advertising.
He said he did not think the material covers would survive Melbourne's winter weather.
"This kind of material is weak with rain and dust and it could smell or damage easily," he said.
"If it is damaged it is not art any more, so I think when making the work, stronger material would be better."
Dayoung Joo, an exchange student from Korea, said she liked the work.
"I like the purpose if it. It's more colourful and it could make the city more energetic."
Topics: street-art, arts-and-entertainment, law-crime-and-justice, community-and-society, defence-and-national-security, visual-art, melbourne-3000, vic
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