Goodnight Irene? A storied Melbourne artists’ haven is under threat

The haphazardly converted lingerie factory in Brunswick has been a part of the city’s cultural landscape since 2001, but the council insists it must comply with modern safety standards

Walking up the rainbow coloured stairs to the second floor of the Irene artists warehouse in Melbourne feels a bit like stepping back in time, with political and psychedelic stencil art sprayed between higgledy-piggledy MDF board walls separating a maze of studios amid remnants of the building’s industrial history.

The converted former lingerie factory in a cul-de-sac off Lygon Street in the inner-north suburb of Brunswick has been a not-for-profit artist and activist space since 2001 but is now facing an uncertain future as urban gentrification and council regulations close in.

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