Sixteen years ago, the mighty red brick Substation building was like a slain dragon. Its once shiny scales were gone – every one of its windows had been smashed. The guts of the building were in a state of decay. However, local resident Darren Williams had a vision. A group of artists shared that vision. Together they began to dream the impossible – that this dragon would rise again. It would house a creative hub for the people of Newport and others. As Paul Kelly sang “From little things, big things grow”. Window by window, room by room, cleaning brick after brick. And finally, the dragon rose majestically once more. The Substation building metamorphised into the Hobsons Bay Community Arts Centre, Melbourne’s newest community arts space.
The Substation has a huge performance space upstairs. Its towering windows light the space beautifully. When I recently visited, kids were taking circus lessons there. Several people were having an animated discussion about the recent Ashley Davies’ production ‘Ned Kelly’. I wandered through the downstairs galleries. There was a buzz in the air. ‘Larger than Life’, an exhibition being held in conjunction with the Big West Festival, was being set up.
There is lots happening at the Substation, including an annual contemporary art prize. There is also an Artists Market on the first Saturday of every month, except in January. There is more information about it, and other activities, on the Substation’s website. The website also contains more information about the Substation building, which is almost 100 years old. It was built by Victorian Railways to house electricity converters for use by trains.
