By Brendan Rees
Sarah Horner may have rolled the dice on this one but it has proven to be a game changer.
The Deakin university student brought the world’s most popular board game, Monopoly to Botanic Ridge last week.
Using stencils, chalk, fixative spray and “heaps of hairspray,” Sarah, 23, recreated each of the Monopoly squares onto the footpaths of Browns Road, Smiths Lane, Station Creek Way and Pearcedale Road.
Passers-by could even collect $200 as they passed go as they returned from their walk around the block.
Sarah, of Cranbourne West says she woke up at 3am to prepare her tools and mindset before venturing out to create her work of art.
“It’s a bit of fun,” she said. “I’m a major big kid so it brought that out in me.
“I even got the original plastic Monopoly font.”
The six-day project formed part of a university assignment for Sarah who was inspired by Melbourne artist Amy Spiers.
“I wanted to explore the idea of space that we live in everyday and the singularities in a contemporary way.
“It called on locals to see what casual features made up the area and to view and appreciate it in a new way,” she said.
Sarah, who is studying arts and education, admits she was worried about the weather.
“Because it’s such a big project you have to allow a certain amount of time – it could all change with the weather,” she said.
“I would be out there 10 hours at a time except for work on Saturday.”
She says she was delighted with the end result which she completed on Wednesday 3 October. Asked if she was exhausted, she says: “Just a bit.”
“It’s good to have that conversation as you walk past,” added.
“I want to thank Rachel Rickard, Grace Ariel, Mahima Christian, Matthew Horner, Laura Buckby and Harry (site manager), and Tony and Linda Horner for volunteering their time and efforts into creating the Monopoly Board–this project could not have been achieved without their help and support.”
