Council’s bright move to beautify electrical boxes in Frankston City

Published on 24 June 2022

Frankston City Council is powering ahead with a bold move to beautify electrical boxes in the municipality.

Mayor Nathan Conroy said artist Melanie Caple is drawing on local flora for artistic inspiration when decorating the prominent utility boxes in Frankston.

“Melanie’s artworks are adding colour and vibrancy, while reminding us of Frankston City’s beautiful natural environment,” the Mayor said.

North West Ward Cr Kris Bolam said the designs include botanical elements depicting native flora using a monochrome palette, as well as background colours inspired by the Frankston sky and the seaside.

“Melanie hand paints the monochrome botanical elements. These designs are then added to a digital design adding the background colours – before being transferred to vinyl, which is then applied to each electrical box. The vinyl file, preparation, printing and installation is coordinated with a local company,” Cr Bolam said.

Melanie graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art (Painting) from RMIT and holds a Masters of Arts Management.

As an artist, curator and arts manager, Melanie has worked in multiple capacities within the arts industry.

Over the last decade she has developed her practice to incorporate finely detailed oil paintings and large-scale exterior murals.

Examining our relationship with the botanical world around us with a focus on immortalising a sense of place, she uses native flora to activate walls and canvases to draw attention to the fragility and vibrancy of our landscape.

Melanie has exhibited in various group exhibitions and has staged solo exhibitions around Melbourne and in Gippsland, including a major solo exhibition in 2015 at the Latrobe Regional Gallery as the recipient of the annual Dick Bishop Memorial Award.

Most recently she was a finalist in the 2019 KAAF Art Prize, the Winner of the 2016 People’s Choice Award in the Roi Art Prize, and a finalist in the 2018 Collins Place Art Prize. She was also selected as a mural artist for Frankston’s Big Picture Festival in 2021 and 2022.

Electricity boxes at 11 locations including near Frankston Arts Centre have been beautified with six more in the pipeline.