Public Art Trail 2026

01 Feb 2022 - 31 Dec 2026 FREE Melbourne City

Public Art Trail 2026

01 Feb 2022 - 31 Dec 2026

FREE

Melbourne City

Get involved in a series of fun, participatory, student-created artworks on campus.

What is the Public Art Trail?

RMIT Public Art Trail welcomes you back to RMIT with a series of participatory artworks focussed on finding your place and forging connections.

Each of the public artworks was created by an RMIT student with support from RMIT Creative Student Life.

This initiative was originally developed as part of a cross-college undergraduate elective, Public Art Projects within Design and Social Context (DSC).

Two students smiling at camera holding their handmade artwork

Public Art Trail Showreel 2024

What are the Public Art Trail Projects?

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Artificial Intelligelism by Orlando Simmonds

Artificial Intelligelism is a public artwork exploring the broad range of complex responses we have to the advent of AI. Some think AI is here to save us and others think it’s the end of the world. Whatever your stance on AI, Artificial Intelligelism draws you into a dialogue with all these hopes, fears and speculations. By drawing an analogy between the stairs, and elevators which — like AI — were once a brand new and possibly terrifying technological innovation, this artwork provokes us to examine AI in the context of millions of years of human evolution and new tool inventions.

Like many students, Orlando is facing a shifting industry landscape where early-career jobs may get automated largely out of existence by AI. On the other hand, Orlando is also aware of the many opportunities AI offers to enhance existing professions and create new ones. This artwork invites RMIT students to engage with the ambiguities present in our relationship with AI.

Location: Building 10, Level 4 (Elevators), City Campus

yellow neon signs with positive messages

The Bright Signs by Emi Uili

The Bright Signs is an installation artwork for anyone who has ever felt disheartened or doubtful. Our inner monologues including self-talk and the internalised voices of others can shape our emotions and actions and leave a lasting impact. It’s important to catch the negative thoughts and turn them into something positive.

The Bright Signs seeks to empower students to believe in themselves and practice positive self-talk. Emi’s signs are metaphorically glowing with positivity, and the negative aspects of each phrase have been silenced. If you’re looking for a sign to be kind and believe in yourself, this is it!

Location: Building 8, Level 4, RMIT City Campus

Quote from the artist:

When I was a teenager, I was told I would never be good enough to be an architect. I let that statement affect my future decisions. It took me a few years before I could move past the fear and self-doubt and decide to come to RMIT to study Architecture and create a new narrative for myself. Now I’m working towards fulfilling my dreams! - Emi Uili

Connect the Dots artwork by Sophie Stavrakis

Connect The Dots by Sophie Stavrakis

Connect the Dots is an interactive public artwork that embraces the spirit of adventure and curiosity! Stories from people who study, work, and share knowledge in RMIT’s City North Precinct have been made visible on bright yellow dots scattered over the precinct! You may even find some dots in unexpected places where stories are yet to materialise. You are invited to go exploring! Let the yellow dots lead you astray from your daily routine. Follow the map or follow your curiosity. There's no start or finish. What emerges is your unique, personalised trajectory, tracing each other’s invisible footsteps and intangible stories as you connect the dots...

Location: RMIT Campus City North Precinct

Quote from the artist:

I spent three years of my degree in the same circled building and my understanding of RMIT as a campus was limited to a singular footpath. It wasn’t until I was in my final year of uni that I strayed off my well-trodden track to go exploring... and I’m so glad I did!

The yellow circles of Connect the Dots are a visual reference to the RMIT Design Hub – Building 100 – where I attended nearly all of my classes throughout my Bachelor of Architectural Design. One day, a mysterious bright yellow puddle of paint appeared right out the front of the Design Hub and suddenly my well-trodden path was covered in other people’s yellow footprints. The footprints of the people who shared this space, this path, this journey with me. I began to wonder about the lives of the people who had created them. What were their stories? What are they studying? Working on? Researching? Thinking about? The yellow paint became a metaphor for all those unseen lives and untold stories. - Sophie Stavrakis

Slow Down by Anaya Shahid

Collage is a great practice for being mindful and present because as student artist, Anaya will tell you, “you can’t rush a collage”. To create the final artwork for Slow Down, over 100 RMIT students participated in slow mindful collage workshops. Each participant began by setting an intention for their wellbeing, giving themselves permission to create uncritically. Anaya curated myriad images drawing on themes of nature and outer space for these workshops. For Anaya, the colours found in nature have a calming effect and outer space represents infinite possibilities, just like the infinite ways to create.

The final artwork is created using elements from some of the collages created by students in these workshops. A truly collaborative process!

Location: Building 14, Level 4, City Campus

Quote from the artist:

I have been making collages since high school but this year I found myself turning to collage as a mindfulness practice as well as a creative outlet. I felt like I was always rushing - to class, rushing to work, rushing home again - and I was not present. Practicing collage allowed me to slow down, unwind and take my time. I wanted to share this feeling of calm and slowness with other students. - Anaya Shahid

Light Lines by Chunting Wu (Tin)

Light Lines is a nature-inspired creative meditation practice that invites students to take time to notice the beauty of the natural world. The artwork consists of a facilitated experience where participating students observe the movement of shadows cast by trees, nature and each other across the architecture of RMIT and trace these shadows using chalk.

Location: Outside of Building 66, City North Campus (Earl St)

Quote from the artist:

I am very interested in exploring light and shadow. When I take a moment, I can feel the sunlight shine on my face, I can feel relaxation and comfort seep into my body. In a world where the speed of life may feel unrelenting, I found myself drawn to slow deliberate actions, feeling the warmth of the sun and the coolness of shadow on my body, observing the shapes cast by the trees onto the wall, noticing their movement over time. I cherish these moments of stillness, connecting with nature, the small pleasures of seeing and sensing the world around us. - Chunting Wu (Tin)

two people smiling at camera with paper drawings in hand

Sticking Together by Ngoc Khanh Truong (Marvis)

Sticking Together is a participatory artwork that uses the act of personalising and gifting stickers as an adhesive to cement new friendships.

Popping up at events across campus including Orientation Week and the Creative Long Table Sessions, Sticking Together invites students to meet a new friend, ask each other the playful ice breaker questions in the Sticking Together booklet and then make a unique gift for their new friend using the sticker template and abundance of creative materials. This act of connection and giving turns new acquaintances into firm friends.

Quote from the artist:

Friendship is a gift in itself - that's the essence of Sticking Together. Gifting is truly important to me, and I want to share the power of gifting to our student community, especially to those who are new to RMIT and looking to make new friends. With a background in Communication Design, I used cute little stickers as a tool to strengthen friendships and explore creativity in each student. And the gift for me as a creator is seeing beautiful connections formed through my project! - Ngoc Khanh Truong (Marvis)

ConnectUs by Jade Armstrong

Orientation. Meeting new people. Conversations. These can be overwhelming and daunting. Yet, it’s how new friendships begin. ConnectUs is a bespoke game made using Connect4 as a template with conversation prompts added to each of the tokens. The conversation prompts have been carefully designed by the student artist using psychologists research into forming meaningful human connections. Students are invited to use the game to connect with others in a fun and playful way.

Note: ConnectUs is only available on certain days

RMIT students throw paper with their worries and doubts into a basketball hoop as apart of the Dunking Your Doubts artwork by Joshua Sullivan

Dunking Your Doubts by Joshua Sullivan

We all have doubts from time to time – that inner critic who never seems satisfied. Dunking Your Doubts is about getting any negative or overly critical thoughts, worries or doubts out of your head and onto a piece of paper. From here, you’re invited to scrunch up the paper with your doubts into a ball, dunk them through the basketball hoop and straight into the bin where they belong! Take that, inner critic!

Quote from the artist:

I drew on my love of sports and fitness to develop a public artwork with a powerful wellbeing technique to help RMIT Students take better care of our mental health. As one of the “sporty boys”, I know this is a demographic that often struggles to take care of or talk about our mental health. Even though there is science to show it works, doing something like journalling can feel a bit out of our comfort zone so framing that by dunking your doubts in a basketball hoop makes this wellbeing technique feel a lot more fun. After all dunking is the most powerful thing you can do in basketball - Joshua Sullivan

Clay Play by Jessica Dybing

Clay Play invites students to sculpt colourful therapy clay into a form that resonates with them and then place their clay avatar on a map of RMIT City campus. A looping time lapse video of all the colourful clay avatars filling up the campus map will be projected on screens around campus.

Note: Clay Play is only available on certain days

Long Table Sessions

The Long Table Sessions are for students, led by students. This is a low-key space to drop-in, vibe, and get creative! There is no pressure to stay the whole time. We welcome everyone – you don't have to be an artist! No materials or prior creative experience is required as Student Artists will share their creative skills and materials with you. Rock up and be guided by gentle facilitation or bring something along of your own that you’ve been working on!

Location: Building 12, Level 4, City Campus (the long tables behind the RMIT Store before the RUSU office)

Looking for more creative events and activities? Sign up for the RMIT Creative mailing list, or follow RMIT Creative on Instagram and Facebook.

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When you attend RMIT official events or activities you may be photographed or recorded. By attending the event, you agree to RMIT's Terms.

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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

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