How do you enjoy the beach? For me, the beach is usually a place to commune with nature.
The ocean, the sand, and hopefully warm sun, the beach is a shared space, one that changes throughout the day as the sun moves through the sky and the tides come in and out. But the beach is also a place of inventiveness – whether its making sandcastles or parading along the shoreline, the beach welcomes all kinds of people.
When I went to Bondi Beach, I wasn’t disappointed with the beach panorama. There was people showing off their bodies on surfboard and the sand, people communing with the beauty of nature, and people hanging out in their neighbourhood, meeting up with their neighbours to discuss the daily gossip.
What surprised me was the numerous areas of the pathways dedicated to grafitti. There were plenty of cool images, celebrating the vivid colours and styles of typical grafitti letters, as well as idolized images of the Bondi muscle boys and the girls who love them.
And that wasn’t the only art to be found – along the shopping area sidewalks, mosaic tile covered benches celebrated Bondi ‘s culture of surfing, swimming and lifesaving.
I’d never though of the beach as an art inspiration. This beach zone revelled in its contemporary art – proud of its culture shaped by the kilometre-long strip of sand and Pacific Ocean that makes this one of the most popular beaches in Sydney.