From murals to banners to billboards, Sam is no stranger to having his artwork plastered across various locations in Freo so it only made sense to work with Sam, at our future apartment site in Fremantle, to inject some much needed life back into the area.

We caught up with Sam to chat about Freo and delve deeper into his creative process behind the concept for the mural…

Serving as a visual representation of the new beginnings that lie ahead of the community and the site itself, what was your inspiration for this piece?

I really love looking at the space for clues as to what to bring into a mural. Walyalup is in a state of flux at the moment and I wanted to create something that honored where we are at and also presented an excitement for where we are headed. The phrases in the mural represent this, from OPEN FOR PRAYER being a nod to the church across the road, to POSITIVE STAR as a reference to a cargo ship of the same name that docks in the port, and HOME STRETCH looking toward the future of the site. 

Hand painted bold text and phrases are predominantly featured in a lot of your artwork/murals, why is text so important?

The democratic nature of text is what draws me to it. Nearly everyone knows how to read a sign. It’s something that’s accessible and plays a role in our understanding of public space (from freeway exits to street signs). My work is trying to navigate and understand our place in public space too, so it just made sense that text was a great medium to explore that in.

The glue of Fremantle is community, yet so many other towns are growing increasingly distant from one another. What are your favourite things/activities/ideas that bring communities together?

I’m a sucker for arts events. I love seeing the way that art can bring a community together to rediscover their own town. Although I’m not one for sport, I did love watching some Matildas games in their recent amazing efforts in the world cup finals with everyone. 

Freo is a special place to everyone who knows it; and for those who haven’t been in a while, there’s a whole new Freo waiting to be explored. Being a local, what do you think Freo’s best-kept secret is?

I’m such a fan of Lions and tigers. The food is amazing, and the service is top-notch. It’s always a pleasure to go there and it always makes me feel lucky that we have a restaurant of such high calibre right around the corner. But the newest space people might not have heard of is a gallery that’s opening in a power sub-station on the 22nd of this month (Sept). It’s a strange and wonderful little space called current gallery (@current.gallery) that will focus on emerging and experimental art. 

What upcoming projects do you have in store and where else can people find your other works?

I’m excited to have a major work for the Fremantle biennale coming up this November. We’ve been working with a fabricator in Victoria to develop a massive screen work spanning over 50mtrs which will be my largest work to date. You can see the biennale program at @fremantlebiennale and follow my other projects at @_sambloor or sambloor.net

Come and visit | 8 Point St, Fremantle
Concept & Artist | @sambloor