Melburnians, if you've been seeing this fair town of ours in a completely different light this year, that's to be expected. After spending so much time at home and indoors during the city's two periods of lockdown, even the most familiar places around the place look a little different. So, you're probably paying them more attention than usual.

Fancy doing some peering around the top of Bourke Street? If so, you'll spot some great art while you're there. As supported by the City of Melbourne, and curated by Fiona Scanlan and Robert Buckingham, Uptown: An Art Exhibition for Our City is turning the roadway between Exhibition and Spring streets into an outdoor art gallery. Expect a blend of art, architecture and streetscapes, with the works of 26 contemporary artists displayed across vacant shops, restaurants, store windows, building exteriors and laneways.

From Tuesday, December 15–Sunday, February 28, you'll be feasting your eyes on an array of pieces. A 17-metre billboard will feature a Bill Henson image of a woman floating above the city lights, while Peter Atkins is turning the window of Mitty's newsagent into a celebration of 80s TV personalities and magazines, and the old Job Warehouse will see art plastered across its windows. There'll also be laneway posters, drawings that use wordplay heavily scattered around the place, and also disco costumes and mirror balls, too.

It's all free, obviously, and it'll be on display 24 hours a day during its two and a half-month run.

And yes, it's designed to get you scoping out the CBD again — and doing more than just looking at art while you're there.

Images: John Betts