More and more art seems to be stepping out of the gallery and finding a new lease of life on the streets. But what happens if you take art and merge it with the retail space? What happens if the exhibition steps out of the gallery and takes place on the high street, leading the viewer from piece to piece, from shop to shop? Well, the result is akin to a new trend in walking exhibitions, and there’s no bigger walking exhibition around town than Windows On William.

Put together by the ever so tireless William Street Collective, Windows On William brings together over 17 artists and marries them to 14 venues. The result is eclectic and electric and showcases a rich, diverse range of visual talent. But what gives Windows On William that extra ‘oomph’ is that the works on display are also accompanied by a limited edition print. This lends the whole exhibition a degree of collectability and covetousness, driving the consumer come critic on from venue to venue in a Pokemon-esque need to ‘gotta get ’em all’.

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It’s the second year for Windows On William and it appears to be bigger and better than ever. Just as the William Street Collective has grown exponentially in the last year, so too has the size of this exhibition. William Topp, Chainsaw Horror, Brave New World and Wilder Bunch join the fray along with Exotic Body Piercing, The Blue Room, The Moon, Harry Highpants, Keith + Lottie and many more. Add a plethora of creative talents and you have an exhibition which is dynamic, exciting and multi-faceted.

‘Windows is about fun, about exploration and about reward!’ explained Aimee Johns, the driving force behind the William Street Collective. ‘Stores, galleries and venues have banded together to present 14 artists’ work, displayed in windows throughout Northbridge’s creative precinct. So whilst following a map, and discovering local artists artwork, you are also discovering a selection of Northbridge’s creative places – spaces which support our local creative industries. Windows On William replaces white gallery walls with grit, culture and urban adventure.

‘The format of Windows allows for a completely new take on a traditional gallery setting. It allows for a more accessible format – to put art in front of people that wouldn’t traditionally walk into a gallery – who are comfortable entering a shop, but that would think twice about entering a gallery. It is also viewable 24 hours a day, helps to brighten up our streets, and rewards viewers with free gifts, so everyone can share in a little local art love.’

What adds to the intricacy of this project is that the lines are blurred between the retail space and the gallery. With the advent of the artist as brand (think Warhol or Hirst), Johns is all too familiar with the synergies that exist between the space as commercial and curatorial.

‘Each could not exist without each other, and each gain from the collaboration,’ Johns said of the relationship between the shop and the gallery. ‘Whilst the collectable print can sit easily within the retail environment as a ‘product’, the window display pushes usual retail boundaries, and likewise the print encourages artists to take their usual artworks and translate them into a print design – a more retail palatable form.’

Brought together for this installment of Windows On William are the likes of Frans Bisschops, Corinne Bates, Kate-Anna Williams, Daniel Nevin and Yolanda Stapleton. Jessie Mitchell returns with along with her collaborators Subgang to create a huge plush Yeti at William Topp – something that has to be seen to be believed. Elsewhere and street artists such as Troll, Sleep and Trevor 6025 move from the street into the window to deliver some amazing installations. For local illustrator Sean Morris, the exposure Windows On William affords is invaluable.

‘I try to get involved in as many group shows as I can, to get my work seen by as many people as possible,’ Morris explained. ‘But being involved in Windows is particularly awesome – last year’s edition was one of the best art events I went to in 2007, and I’m sure even more people will be back to check it out this time around.

‘It’s a nice challenge trying to work in more than 2 dimensions for a change,’ he concluded. ‘There’s also a bit of a competitive element, not knowing what the other artists are going to produce with their windows – which is fun but also great for pushing myself to do better.’

Windows On William runs until Monday November 24. It is viewable 24 hours a day while the limited edition prints can be collected during each participating venue’s normal trading hours. A map of the participating venues is available online from www.onwilliam.com.au or from participating venues. Be sure to wear comfy shoes!

Scott-Patrick Mitchell