Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Blue Moon


It's something that I have gone past regularly but never really thought about until now. Under the railway bridge over Melbourne Street in South Brisbane there are two blue neon signs on a red wall. One says "Wall Flower" and the other "Blue Moon" (above). Installation? Advertising? Not sure. As always, any info welcome!

15 comments:

the foto fanatic said...

I was wondering about this myself! Just passed them on a bus last week & thought "I must come back and photograph these signs". You beat me to it!

Nicely framed and composed image.

tff

cara said...

Ha! Cheers.

You beat me to the Old Museum so I guess we're evens!

magiceye said...

superb composition and shot!

Hey Harriet said...

I've always wondered the same thing too! So I'm completely clueluess and of no help. I was just pleased to learn I wasn't the only one in the dark about these signs. Yay! :D

hilary said...

Great combination of colours :)

cara said...

A friend of mine has told me about a roller-skating rink that used to be in the area years ago called the Blue Moon... could be a clue!

Anonymous said...

The Blue Moon was a steel floor, under cover roller skating rink on the southern side of the river. It was removed when Melbourne St was straightened to build the new Victoria Bridge (todays bridge) Google blue Moon skating rink and click on to the Courier Mail article. Gives a rough history of the rink.

Bill

Unknown said...

Yes it was the Blue Moon skating rink. Was under the old Victoria bridge.
I used to skate there in the 40's and 50's.
It was very noisy on the steel floor.

cara said...

Thanks Bill and Dell!

Fay said...

I'm in my sixties now, but when I was a young girl, catching the tram with family, for a day out in town. The tram went straight past the skating rink. Was not a skater myself, so did not get to see the inside. But as the tram rolled past, I would always look out the window, and look at the venue. It had a wire or metal enclosure along the river side, for safety, I suppose. Would not like to skate into the river. Loved my days in town. Fay

BRYN HARFORD said...

Gidday!!!
I went there today, took my digital piano, and had some fun with Blues Music.

Love the idea of places in and around our city holding steadfast to their identity whilst adapting with the times too.

Check out the URL link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUM8_S921y8&t=19s

Ron said...

As a teenager I used to travel from Fairfield by bus to skate there Friday nights I just loved the place I'm 71 now and still have fond memories sad to see it go

charliegeorgina7@gmail.com said...

My mother, a tram conductress during WW2, used to talk of going to dances at the Trocadero, located near the Terminus Hotel (now The Fox). It opened in 1923 and was called Trocadero Dansant. The building stood where the train line was extended from South Brisbane Station across the Merivale Bridge to the northside line in 1978. "Wall Flower" probably relates to that venue.

Mum also talked of skating at the Blue Moon. It was still there when I started work in the 1960s, sort of hanging over the Brisbane River on the southwest side of Victoria Bridge.

Unknown said...

2004               ‘Wow ‘em Once More’ Melbourne St, Brisbane, Mixed Media Public Art installation for the Brisbane City Council – Melbourne St Boulevade - Rail 
                       Bridge Portal site, Artist: Nat Paton Curator:  Beth Jackson

It's a Brisbane City Council public artwork by myself, Nat Paton. The work spans across the road to include the light boxes and used to also include a video piece (which is not currently maintained by council). The light boxes on the other side of the street have facades that change over time. There is a plaque on the other side of the road on the left hand side of the rail bridge abutments that explains the work. The neon pieces were my reminiscent interpretation of autographs that were signed by the many performers that tread the floor boards of the Cremorne theatre but tipping a hat to the Trocadero dance hall and Blue Moon skating rink that was on the site.

I am so happy to see people taking their own photographs, reminiscing about the old times and enjoying the work.

cloudface said...

Thanks so much Pat for the comment and Cara for the blog post. I dabble in a bit of street art and was just in the area 20 minutes ago thinking for probably the 100th time "I really should Google that 'Blue Moon, Wallflower thing" and finally did and found exactly what I needed to know. It was actually the light boxes on the other side that intrigued me more tonight since there's a few venues nearby but I knew the light boxes had been there longer and the old movie theater motif didn't seem to fit with the aesthetic of the bar under the bridge-interesting to find out they're related to the blue neon.

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