The Worst Of Perth

April 29, 2010 5:22 PM

The Worst Of Perth showcases the worst in public art, architecture, design, fashion, car culture, graffiti and suburban landscape in and around Perth in Western Australia, with the occasional public victory over bad art. Substantially NSFW.
posted by Fiasco da Gama (16 comments total)

Most cities in Britain and the U.S. have much worse "bad art" than the example showcased. I mean, if you put that sculpture in the empty plaza in front of Boston City Hall, the entire area would look a damn sight better. Perth should be proud of what it's got.
posted by shii at 5:38 PM on April 29, 2010

Perth always makes me think of USENET.
posted by Nothing... and like it at 5:40 PM on April 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

The Boston City Hall is one of my favourite buildings ever.

(I grew up in Perth... YMMV.)
posted by robcorr at 6:04 PM on April 29, 2010

Years ago, while backpacking around Europe, I met what I can only assume to be the entire population of Australia. Yet, I never met anyone from Perth, nor anyone who knew anyone from Perth. From this I deduced that Perth did not actually exist, but was in fact a cruel jape pulled by cartographers on both Aussies and non-Aussies alike.

This post has not changed my opinion on this matter.
posted by Panjandrum at 6:39 PM on April 29, 2010

I (Boston City Hall lover btw) was ready to be all 'these plebeians, these Aussie plebeians, just don't understand art, or architecture, or design; they just don't get it'.
Then I clicked on the links. They get it. That is all pretty bad (except for Pig Drifter, who is my new hero).
Funny, too.
posted by Flashman at 6:39 PM on April 29, 2010

A groovy scene in Australia,
I will move
Take my surfboard
Maybe I'll groove...
posted by Rangeboy at 6:47 PM on April 29, 2010

Their language reads a lot like English.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 6:57 PM on April 29, 2010

Lazy bastard. If he wanted a challenge he'd do a blog about the Best of Perth.
posted by Jimbob at 7:00 PM on April 29, 2010 [5 favorites]

The only art in australia is bitching about how bad/sparse the art is. Don't get me started on the whole of melbourne or the role of intellectuals in australia -.-.
posted by Submiqent at 7:06 PM on April 29, 2010

I liked Perth a lot for the couple of months I spent there. It's a very nice little city. Then again, I was either a) working b) drinking or c) sleeping the whole time, so.

I particularly remember the build-your-own sandwich place below the downtown office building we were in. Mmm, sandwiches.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:10 PM on April 29, 2010

THIS IS PERTH is absolutely hilarious if you live in - or have had reason to escape - Perth.
posted by bunglin jones at 8:13 PM on April 29, 2010 [3 favorites]

I had to stop checking The Worst of Perth while I was work because it always forced a horrible snort/laugh noise from me.

The "This is Perth" video won a pile of WA Screen Awards, and rightly so. Not that it's technically brilliant or anything, it's just so on the mark.
posted by harriet vane at 9:38 PM on April 29, 2010

That said, the mayor Lisa Scaffaldi (who was responsible for getting rid of the arse & boozies sculpture) has been working hard to get some actual life into the city centre. The small-bar licences are great, because now I can actually have a drink after work with friends somewhere cosy instead of in a barn like the Aberdeen. And she's lifted restrictions so that there's more opportunity for laneway art exhibitions and so on.

Not that she can fix things by herself, but it seems like she's intent on removing the red tape that's prevented people from implementing creative ideas. She's taken Melbourne as a model rather than sticking with the 1960s-style freeways and glass boxes focus of previous mayors.

Which might have prompted this optimistic stencil in the Condor Tower carpark.
posted by harriet vane at 10:02 PM on April 29, 2010

Perth's parochial, feral and hilarious vignettes are well documented in TWOP. I love to read it on his Facebook feeds. A beery chat of an afternoon has engendered a blog that Perth-ites love to read here at home and for some comforting reminders of the stupidities of home whilst we are away. And now on Metafilter! Perth has really made it!

I wonder though with all the great articles in The West Australian, the only newspaper in a state as vast as Western Europe, if his efforts are somewhat redundant. [Troy Buswell 'news', I am looking at you]

Harriet Vane, we must sojourn to these small bar licensed premises of which you speak. I'm right near 399 and a fan of cocktails there :)
posted by honey-barbara at 1:18 AM on April 30, 2010

               .-_|\
              /     \
      Perth ->*.--._/
                   v  

posted by mendel at 10:13 PM on April 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

Honey-barbara, that sounds like an excellent plan!
posted by harriet vane at 10:20 PM on April 30, 2010