The most recent Pam the Bird graffiti, painted on the eastern pylon of the Bolte Bridge in Melbourne, could be the boldest yet. Allegedly drawn by 22-year-old Jack Gibson-Burrell, this 'distinct cartoon bird' has become a divisive fixture on Melbourne landmarks, sparking debate over whether it is art or vandalism.
Police Describe Pam as 'Distinct Cartoon Bird'
Police describe Pam as a 'distinct cartoon bird' – a brightly colored, childlike design allegedly graffitied on Melbourne landmarks by Gibson-Burrell. The latest incident involved Gibson-Burrell forcing his way into a door at the base of a 120-metre pylon on the Bolte Bridge, climbing an internal staircase to the top, and abseiling down the side to paint a white bird with an orange and green beak pointed towards the Yarra River below. He was arrested at the base of the bridge several hours later on Tuesday morning, after a considerable police response and traffic delays.
Gibson-Burrell Faces Over 200 Offences
Gibson-Burrell, 22, is on bail for more than 200 other offences, the majority relating to other incidents of alleged criminal damage involving graffiti. Earlier this year, he pleaded not guilty to the offences in the magistrates court and is set to face trial in the county court. The prominent birds, such as those on the Bolte Bridge, have thrust Pam into the spotlight, but it is their sheer number that has also drawn attention. Pams on other almost impossible sites – the Flinders Street clock tower, the 70-metre yellow steel oblong known as the 'cheese stick', the golden facade of the Novotel South Wharf, on the Nine building after the Age wrote about the graffiti – are cleaned off within days, if not hours. However, other Pams are everywhere, particularly in the city's west.
Public Outcry and Hypocrisy
There is no such debate among those within Melbourne's world-renowned graffiti scene – for those who spray images or tags like Pam the Bird, the vandalism is the point; it is valued because it is illicit. One Melbourne veteran of such a crew told Guardian Australia that the Pam the Bird graffiti artist was a product of this culture, but also moved beyond it towards an emerging form of graffiti that valued taking even greater risks. This was no small thing: the existing crews regularly break into rail sidings, surf trains in tunnels, and flee across tracks from police and train authorities – activities dangerous enough in themselves that multiple people have died in Melbourne while committing them, including from electrocution, being hit by moving trains, or falling or striking items while riding them.
Controversy Within Graffiti Crews
Pam the Bird was controversial within these crews, the veteran said: appearing not to value private property as much as those grounded in the spirit of 1990s graffiti culture. 'I always had a strict rule of never doing someone's property, knowing of course that trains are not our property,' the veteran said. The public outcry about the work was hypocritical though, the veteran said. 'The government promotes graffiti and places like Hosier Lane for tourism, but then wants to put you in jail for the other half,' he said. The two are inextricably intertwined, he argues: it would be like banning community footy while continuing to support the AFL.
Social Media and Legal Consequences
Pam the Bird has also gained prominence through the use of social media. The graffiti veteran said that in this way the work appeared similar to other crews he was more familiar with. Some of this social media material is set to be used in court cases against Gibson-Burrell, who is accused of causing more than $700,000 damage. On Tuesday morning, a newly created Instagram account, @pambirdofficial, shared video stories appearing to be from Gibson-Burrell at the top of the pillar with the hashtag #notcomingdown. In one video, a man's voice says: 'I'm not coming down until they lower the taxes. Fucking sick of paying that shit.' Another video shows feet dangling off the tower and zooms in on a large police presence down below before the man 'flips the bird' to officers. Later, he added a request for a blanket.
Charges and Court Appearance
Gibson-Burrell has been charged with 13 offences related to the Bolte incident, including contravening the conditions of his bail, committing an indictable offence whilst on bail, burglary, criminal damage, conduct endangering life and conduct endangering serious injury along with a number of graffiti-related offences. 'Police will make an application to an out of sessions court this evening to have the man remanded in custody,' Victorian police said in a statement on Tuesday. He is set to face the county court on his earlier charges on 20 July.
