Bendigo artists have used a centuries-old technique to make street art more environmentally sustainable.
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Artist Chris Duffy, from the Bendigo Artists Inc, painted a large mural on the side of the Engine Room on View Street using traditional Dja Dja Wurrung ochre.
The artwork, which shows two sets of hands, also signified an important moment in Australian history.
"I think it was 1975 when Gough Whitlam poured the sand into Vincent Lingiari's hand," Mr Duffy said.
"I didn't know too much about it to be honest but I saw it almost like God and Adam's finger in Michelangelo's work, the Creation of Adam.
"I thought straight away - it has to be big, it's got to be just the hands, and it's got to be really symbolic. It's got to show unity in the end and giving back. And that's why I've called it, Giving Back."
Mr Duffy's mural was part of the Bendigo Artists Inc's collective project, Walrus of Peace. The project, which was instigated by Science Gallery Melbourne, investigated non-toxic ways to create street art.
"They put a shout out on how we, as artists, can tackle the environment and make our art more environmentally friendly," Mr Duffy said.
"As the Bendigo Artist Inc, we collectively came up with this idea of trying something that has been around for only 35,000 years but give it more of a street art vibe, a more contemporary feel to it."
Mr Duffy - who also goes by the name Ha Ho Art - said the Dja Dja Wurrung community supported the creation of the mural, as did the City of Greater Bendigo.
"It's really nice of the council to say yeah, go for it because the brick wall is heritage listed," Mr Duffy said.
"It's a really good way of making a statement that street art and heritage listed Bendigo - let's be honest, there's a lot of heritage listed buildings here - can actually exist and cooperate together."
Mr Duffy's artwork took three days to create. There was a ceramic slip placed onto the brick wall with the ochre painted on top so the bricks would not be stained in the process.
The mural was designed to be removed seamlessly, which is what happened on Thursday morning.
"It's a little bit of work, but there's no damage to the heritage listed brickwork at all," Mr Duffy said.
Mr Duffy's use of ochre in street art has garnered attention from Melbourne artists.
"They think it's cool," Mr Duffy said. "The fact is we're not using chemicals, we're not using harsh products, so there's a lot of people interested and I think it might happen more and more. Let's hope so anyway."
The Bendigo Artists Inc were also looking to create other similar murals in the near future.
"We have some plans," Mr Duffy said. "We'd like to push it a bit further and see how we go. We need to ask the right people nicely and all that."
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