Footscray-based illustrator Oslo Davis has turned his sharp wit towards the city which has been his home for about two decades in his new book, ‘Oslo’s Melbourne’. From having four seasons in one day to the camaraderie of fellow dog owners at local dog parks, the book is full of humour and insight into what makes the city tick. Matthew Sims speaks with him about why laughter can be the best medicine.
This is the second part of Star Weekly’s chat with Oslo Davis.
Another activity which helped Davis and about 400 other people through the lockdowns was his postcard project, which involved him drawing random pictures and cartoons on postcards and sending them to people from across the city, including Hoppers Crossing and Craigieburn.
“This was a really fun thing we did during lockdown,” he said.
“It was kind of my way of spreading some silliness.”
“It was a project to keep me busy.”
What is evident in Davis’ drawings is despite viewing the city through cynical humour reminiscent of Larry David or Woody Allen, he still holds a lot of love for the city and its people.
From writing about nude mannequins at Highpoint to a lone man driving his remote control car at the Keilor Electric Off Road Car Association, his drawings and writings breathe life into the static parts of the city, finding peace in the sporadic movement of things and people, as if seeing all things as in a constant state of movement.
“Lifeless mannequins/Loiter nude out front Sportscraft/Plastic and awkward,” he writes in the style of a haiku.
“Fully grown man fangs/His RC buggy. Tara’s/Home with the toddler.”
One of Davis’ other loves exhibited in the book is his love for swimming.
He details his regular visits to the Victoria University pool in Footscray and his decision to enter an ocean swimming competition.
“I stop a lot, maybe every two or three laps,” Davis said.
“My breathing is terrible and I have no rhythm.
“It’s painful but in a good way, like eating spicy biryani.”
Davis hopes the book will act as a new perspective for Melburnians.
“I guess the thing that I want this book to be is something that you don’t see or read,” he said.
“It’s kind of a light-hearted teasing of Melbourne.”
Davis said he aimed for the book to be a “bit of fun”.
“We take ourselves far too seriously,” he said.
“I think we’ve kind of forgotten how to make fun of ourselves.”
‘Oslo’s Melbourne’ is available at The Sun Bookshop in Yarraville and The Chestnut Tree Bookshop in West Footscray.
Details: oslodavis.com
