TAXI DOOR ON NEW CITY COLLECTION WEBSITE

Ever wondered how particular objects become part of cultural collections?

This taxi front door featured in the Hello Yellow: Melbourne Taxis – Stories, Colours & Manners exhibition curated by Christine Eid for the City Gallery, at the Melbourne Town Hall. It was acquired for the City of Melbourne Art and Heritage Collection.

Mounting this yellow taxi car door onto the wall for the exhibition was a concept that came up in discussions between the curator, the collections manager and the exhibition designer.

It had a dual purpose. Not only was the door an artefact signifying a turning point in Victoria’s history (i.e. marking the legislative expansion of taxi vehicle colours in Victoria in 2014) but it’s window also framed the exhibition’s community engagement activity.

So how did this all come about?

One day Eid walked into Ambassador Taxis in Brunswick, which had dozens of yellow taxis lined out the front. She asked to speak to the owner. After a friendly greeting Eid asked if he had a used taxi door available to purchase.

With a laugh he responded, “I have hundreds of them. What is it for?”

Eid explained that she was a curating an exhibition about Melbourne’s taxis.

He looked at her as though she was completely mad then happily exclaimed, “Unbelievable! That’s unbelievable!”

He showed her around and pointed out a few options on site. Eid found one still with the dust and grime intact, recorded its dimensions and purchased it for $50. It was soon acquired for the City of Melbourne Art and Heritage Collection.

View this taxi car door on the new City Collection website