The poster outlining of the project installed at 98 great buckingham street. Soon there will be a new mail box there to accept all the lovely new postcards!

What's this all about??

 Great Buckingham Street in Redfern has a diverse cross-section of residents,from Lebanese and Greek families who have lived there since the, 60s, to boarding houses, student and share-accommodation, young families and newly renovated multimillion-dollar houses. During my 6 years on Great Buckingham, there has been a rapid process of gentrification in both the street and in Redfern at large. Old family houses are now converted into open-plan terraces and the boarding houses have gone, many local buildings have been renovated and rental prices have increased steadily.

I wanted to use this project to capture and archive a snapshot of this street before the gentrification process is complete, but also to act as a catalyst for the street to come together, for people to get to know each other and for the community at large to see what others think and value about the street.

The project involves the distribution of specially printed postcards to the residents of Great Buckingham asking them to write a memory of the street. It could be what the street used to be like, what changes they have seen, they can write in their own language, it could be a drawing by children, a paw-print from a pet - anything that captures their relationship to this street. The postcards will then be returned to 98 Great Buckingham Street where they will be digitally archived and uploaded to a website. The cards will then go on display at RedWater markets in Redfern Park in mid March. I feel that the markets are a better forum to exhibit the works rather than a traditional gallery situation, as it will allow the wider community to access the project, perhaps encouraging the involvement of those who may feel intimidated in a gallery setting.

The postcard collected along with photos from the exhibition will then go towards a book that will archive the complete project and be distributed to community groups and local libraries