Koval and his team sort through thousands of photos submitted to them for curation each month, and also commission a “chief adventure photographer” to scope out specific locations (often facilitated after brokering commercial partnerships with local tourism bodies). They’ve even made their way to Antarctica.

“We have taken the lens of Wes Anderson and turned that onto the real world,” Koval says. “The space that he [creates] is perfect and just so, but our world is very imperfect. These images allow you to see the beauty in it, in a way that’s unexpected.”

The photographs are also accompanied by a history or novel story of the place, catalogued with the same fastidious care you’d expect from one of Anderson’s neurotic characters.

“Every single one of those locations has an interesting, unexpected and sometimes unbelievable story behind it,” Koval says. “That additional layer of what’s behind the facade I think is what makes it all the more fascinating.”

That’s certainly what makes the book so compelling – a work that could be published only with the director’s final approval and that features a foreword from the man himself. “I was afraid of a cease and desist letter,” Koval says. “Luckily for us, [Anderson] is very gracious and kind and understood where we were coming from.” But does it work as an exhibition?

There’s an uneasy tension between the new and the old as you walk around the themed rooms of AWA: The Exhibition (from “Doors” to “Sports” and “Maritime”).

The images themselves are carefully curated and interpret Anderson’s visual language so well. They’re also accompanied beautifully by a collection of unused music written by Mark Mothersbaugh for Anderson’s films playing throughout the space. But it’s a strange experience to celebrate the charm of Anderson’s analogue, retro-obsessed cinematic universe via photos that were often shot on iPhones with captions/stories you frequently have to scan a QR code to read. And stranger still, with much of Melbourne’s impressive architecture on display in the imagery, to stage the show in an unremarkable commercial space wedged inconspicuously above a bank in the CBD.

But while those seeking true fidelity to Wes’ world can always seek comfort in his films, the show is absolutely a success in celebrating the spirit of discovery and creativity they continue to inspire. And for Koval, that’s always been the point.

“If you can put a smile on people’s face or just inspire them to look at their block in a different way, you’ve elevated someone’s day.”

Accidentally Wes Anderson: The Exhibition is on now at 360 Bourke Street, Melbourne.

Our Breaking News Alert will notify you of significant breaking news when it happens. Get it here.