Stop 3: University of Melbourne Baillieu Library

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University of Melbourne’s central library, Baillieu, certainly receives the most foot traffic. This makes it an ideal place for students to have conversations with each other through their latrinalia. Students also commonly use this library as a platform of self expression. There are the typical “I heart so-and-so” messages, but more commonly are admissions of negative feelings. One student admits, “I feel so anxious all the time I’m hiding in the toilet.” Regardless of the fact that the original writer may never see responses, dozens of people scrawl nearby, encouraging professional help or treatment. This graffiti serves as a platform for unloading emotions that the writers feel uncomfortable acknowledging in through other means. In an age of online surveillance, true anonymity is rare, but the bathroom remains an unlikely sanctuary for those struggling with the less glamorous aspects of life.