Who is behind Pam the Bird and how are they getting access to iconic Melbourne buildings?
It’s the graffiti tag that has been scrawled all over Melbourne but just who is behind Pam the Bird and how are they scaling some of the city’s tallest buildings?
Victoria
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“How does he get up there?” is the question almost everyone asks as they see another Pam the Bird plastered across one of Melbourne’s high-rise buildings.
Residents, visitors and tourists have almost all seen the hundreds of graffiti tags somewhere on city buildings, road signs, trains, fences and iconic landmarks.
‘Pams’ have appeared on the iconic Flinders Street Station clock, the yellow cheese stick over the freeway, the Uncle Tobys silo and on a handful of Metro Trains.
Many loathe it, calling for the graffiti to be removed and offenders charged.
But Pam the Bird has built a genuine cult-like following online, building a profile boasting more than 60,000 Instagram followers.
It is widely believed there is a small crew, perhaps of about 10, responsible for the tags infiltrating the city. But how do they get up there? How do they access the buildings?
One enormous Pam was spotted atop of the Novotel building in South Wharf this week.
How the black bird, accompanied with text reading “He He Meow” ended up on that site remains a mystery to many.
It sits far too low for a vandal to reach down from the top and spray paint, and scaling the outside of that building is surely out of the question.
There is a suggestion that those responsible for the viral tag have access to some sort of fireman’s key, which unlocks almost any opening during a fire emergency.
Another theory is that they could be current or former window cleaners, given their expertise in abseiling and ropes.
They would also have a strong knowledge of each building’s alarm and security systems, knowing how to bypass or evade any guards or patrols.
Freeclimbers and graffiti vandals do their homework, sourcing building layouts and escape routes online before springing their plans into action late at night.
The crew must also have sublime climbing skills and immense stamina, strength and poise.
One Melbourne graffiti commentator said Pam the Bird was now ingrained in the city.
“The true identity of the artist or writer behind the bird remains absolutely elusive,” he said on YouTube.
“It’s like she’s becoming this urban legend.
“Despite the efforts of the Melbourne City Council, the police, the courts … Pam the Bird’s popularity continues to soar.”
He said the work put into scaling the Flinders Street Station clock would have been extensive.
“You would have really had to think it through, get the right keys, figure the way out, maybe have an inside scoop of the building,” he added.
There were more than 120 reports of graffiti made each day across the state last year, data from Send Snap Solve shows. There have already been more than 3,400 reports this month.
Lord Mayor Nick Reece said the tags were a blight on the city.
“We have programs to support murals and street art in some of Melbourne’s harsh urban environments, I would encourage Pam the Bird to sign on for one of those. We’ll even throw in some artistic guidance,” he said.
“Illegal graffiti is vandalism and it is costing the community a fortune in cleaning costs which are paid for in higher rates and taxes on everyone.”
Police say intelligence gathered from the public was crucial in finding those responsible.
“Victoria Police is continuing to investigate alleged graffiti vandalism incidents across Melbourne and the Victorian public transport network, which includes ‘Pam the Bird’,” a statement read.
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