NASA might be excited about what could be a smudge of water on the Red Planet, and Hollywood might think voyages to and from are the stuff of outlandish fiction, but it seems the Martians are way ahead of them. Because of course any Martian passing Earth on a touristic tour of the solar system needs to be able to get their tentacles on a crop circle starter kit, some emergency space food, or a replacement passport. Obviously.
The Martian Embassy has been a feature (or an oddity, depending on your point-of-view) on Redfern Street since 2012. Some say a passing space traveller crashed here (that could explain what the Earthlings refer to as an ‘artwork’ with its nose embedded in the corner of Regent St up the road) and decided to stay. Others reckon a delegation of visiting Martian dignitaries decided that the auspicious alignment of magnetic fields and solar waves made this THE spot from which to open diplomatic relations. Either story could be true. Or maybe it’s something else entirely...