Gatherer Media is currently producing a 40-minute documentary about Melbourne’s labyrinthine network of lanes and the artists and musicians they have inspired. 

The Laneway Art film kicked off as part of the Flash Forward project that saw 80 Victorian-based artists and musicians commissioned to make new work as Melbourne endured the world’s longest lockdown.

Synopsis

With Melbourne’s title as street art capital of the world under threat from closed international borders and a mass exodus of its residents, city officials have turned to its artist to breathe life back into the city’s lanes. But tensions arise when the city enlists a new generation of artists to put Melbourne back on the map. 

Can a new generation of idealistic artists affect real change, or will the ambitious program and the artists’ message fail to make an impact?

Set against the backdrop of Melbourne’s network of laneways, abandoned office buildings, empty shops and artists studios, Laneway Arts documents one of the world’s great creative centres attempting to get back on its feet after being battered by the pandemic.

With unparalleled access to locations across the city, in Laneway Art idealistic artists explore spaces that are usually off limits as they address urgent issues facing society such as the impact of climate change, violence against women, social and economic inequality, the housing crisis, and the failure of capitalism across the city. But is the community ready to embrace art with a difficult message?