Culture
You could be whatever you wanted to be
It was the twilight of the Age of Aquarius.
Passionately held 1960s beliefs like Peace, Freedom, Equality, Communal Living, People Power, Expanded Consciousness, Eastern Religion and Free Love… all went out the window. To be replaced with what? Compulsory diversity? Excuses?…
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Capitalist idyll
Forget about Marx or Lennon or Hayek or Friedman–Phelps: The Colonel saw, the Colonel knew, the Colonel understood
Fast–food franchise hoarding at Parramatta Road, Five Dock [Sep-2016 154KB]
Freedom behind the wheel
To stream down congested motorways, clutching tickets to the road–trauma lottery
Tyre burn–outs in an abandoned housing development at Faulconbridge, in the Blue Mountains [Dec-2012 699KB]
Ubiquitous harassment
We crossed the road near the Fairfax building and saw about twenty blokes loading trucks with bundled newspapers. As soon as they noticed her they started whistling and catcalling — almost hysterically. I was surprised but she wasn’t, and she added with quiet contempt: Building sites are worse…
Central Park brewery, Chippendale [Oct-2024 119KB]
Remarks
Embracing kodokushi
Apartment blocks were designed to challenge the emotional needs of their occupants
Circa Residences, Burwood’s tribute to a 1975 episode of The Goodies [May-2024 286KB]
Did but see her passing by
♪ O Lord our God arise,
Scatter our enemies,
And make them fall!
Confound their politics,
Frustrate their knavish tricks,
On Thee our hopes we fix,
God save us all! ♪
EIIR and Prime Minister Howard at Town Hall after the Commonwealth Day Observance at St Andrew’s Cathedral, during the 2006 Royal Visit. The lyrics are from the little–known 2nd verse of the British National Anthem [Mar-2006 357KB]
Empire of the self
Bring distant points of interest within close range by the use of this machine
Empire State Building observation deck, NYC [Oct-2017 434KB]
Aloha Oe
Our way of life faded right before our eyes
Pasifika themed vintage car, High Street Penrith [Mar-2018 447KB]
Operational Matters
VIP Lounges, lotteries, pokies, meat–trays & linked EFTPOS accounts
Behind the Scenic Hotel Southern Cross, Dunedin NZ [Nov-2017 211KB]
In the time of contagion
Green physical distancing dots will continue to guide customers on the best places to sit and stand on all modes
COVID–19 safe seating on the Double Bay ferry, Sydney [Jul-2020 479KB]
Zero–day vulnerability
The SARS-CoV-2 virus began to spread across the globe at the end of 2019. Millions died, economies contracted and civic life became a meandering series of lockdowns. It drew attention away from HIV–AIDS, even though it has killed five times more since the 1980s
Balaclava sculpture (since removed) at the Newtown Tram Depot [Jul-2019 674KB]
Fine–Dining Industrial Complex
The only way to achieve a true sense of purpose was by being seen in a hatted restaurant eating a pile of fat prawns with your toes exposed
Restaurant exhaust stacks, Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal [Jan-2019 122KB]
Beneath the iron ceiling
Social mobility was never guaranteed
Lord Sheffield Circuit at Penrith [Apr-2017 63KB]
Opting away from heteronormativity
When this is all over, gender studies professors are going to have a hell of time teaching students about this moment in history
(Valenti, 2017)
Supplement Warehouse on Sunnyholt Road, Blacktown [Aug-2015 208KB]
Once I built a railroad
Delayed due to an operational issue
… Cancelled due to urgent mechanical repairs
… Blue Mountains rail services have been suspended until further notice due to a freight train derailment at Linden
… No trains this weekend due to scheduled track–work
… Cancelled due to a staff availability issue
… Late due to mechanical problems earlier on
… Running late and out of timetable order
… Transport authorities have urged passengers allow plenty of extra travel time, listen to announcements and check information displays for service updates as stopping patterns may change at short notice
… This service has been cancelled due to an electrical fault, passengers should disembark and transfer to the suburban service waiting at platform four
… Running late due to a person causing a disturbance at Central
… Passengers be advised that we are proceeding slowly due to some track failures, and if we make it through the next signal then we should be right to proceed
… No trains this weekend due to scheduled track–work
… Carriages two and three have been locked off due to vandalism, please move along the platform
… Rail services have been suspended until further notice due to a landslip near Leura
… Cancelled due to a vehicle on the tracks at Faulconbridge
… Delays as a result of a number of unexpected incidents including a tree falling onto the tracks between St Leonards and Wollstonecraft, and a fire to sleepers at North Strathfield
… All services have been cancelled this week due to protected industrial action
… This train will terminate at Strathfield due to a passenger requiring medical assistance. All passengers for Central should disembark and transfer to a suburban service on platform five
… Cancelled due to an operational issue — please allow an extra 60 minutes travel time
… There may be a short delay at Penrith while the rear carriage is checked for possible contamination
… Delayed due to temporary speed restrictions caused by wet weather conditions
… Running 36 minutes late due to a person near the tracks at Werrington
… Westbound train services have been suspended indefinitely due to an incident at Burwood requiring emergency services
… Running late due to vandalism at Blacktown earlier
… Trains are not running between Springwood and St Marys due to urgent overhead wiring repairs at Penrith
… Running late due to severe weather damaging equipment at Milsons Point and North Sydney
… Running 33 minutes late due to a train communication issue
… Delayed due to an issue with a freight train at St Marys earlier
… We apologise for the delay at Penrith due to kids with bikes on and around the tracks
… No trains this weekend due to scheduled track–work
… Trains have been suspended between Lawson and Penrith due to a tree on the tracks near Linden
… Delayed by approximately 41 minutes due a person threatening self–harm at Lithgow
… Postponed due to urgent power supply repairs
… Cancelled due to urgent train repairs at Mt Victoria — we are currently in the process of bringing in a replacement train from Katoomba to form a city bound service
… Please allow extra travel time due to protected industrial action impacting the maintenance of infrastructure at Redfern. Services may be less frequent and trips may take longer than usual. Stops may also change at short notice
… Cancelled due to lightning strike at Penrith
… Postponed due to an operational issue
… No trains this weekend due to scheduled track–work
… Running 27 minutes late due to a tree caught in the overhead wiring at Blaxland
… Blue Mountains rail services have been suspended until further notice due to a landslip near Emu Plains
… Other incidents including multiple self–harm attempts and trespassers on the tracks at Doonside and Bellambi
… Delayed due to a police operation at Ashfield
… Expect delays and cancellations due to ongoing protected industrial action
… Major delays on all lines due to a fatality at Mortdale
… We are arranging replacement buses, but so far we don’t have a forecast for when they will arrive. Delay travel if possible or consider other transport options
…
Macdonaldtown rail viaduct (since rebuilt) [Mar-1983 496KB]
Poly–dimensional facets
GDP versus infrastructure versus ecology versus quality–of–life versus unconstrained population growth
Darling Harbour under the express-way, Sydney [Apr-2017 274KB]
Spatial determinism
What you ate was determined by where it was cooked
16th floor kitchen at Harbourside Apartments versus HMAS Vampire galley [Nov-2021 235KB]
Carpetbaggers everywhere
Oh, the neighbourhood? Well that’s outside! She laughed
(Eno, 1996)
Rug World shop–front, Parramatta Road Auburn [May-2017 544KB]
Efficiency dividend playbook
Exceptional merit deserved exceptional rewards
Darling Point ferry wharf, Sydney [Jan-2017 250KB]
Remarks
Dolchstoßlegende
Historical data was of little use to a society which always looked forward
Photography at Observatory Hill, Sydney [Jan-2020 744KB]
In a cage of gold
Most institutionally binding financial agreements were happy ever after
Australia’s richest street, Wolseley Road Point Piper [Sep-2012 267KB]
Sumptuary Laws revisited
Raised heels for the elite, scuffed flats for everyone else
Shoe boutique window display, QVB Sydney [Apr-2023 343KB]
Tallest tombstones in the world
Arithmétique Macabre: 9/11 = 2977 + 18 462
Church spire beneath a flight path, at Rockdale in Sydney [Dec-2013 111KB]
Remarks
Heroes of Social Progress
Canonical ideals of liberalism, openness, cultural & gender diversity, open borders, safe routes to asylum, genuine compassion for society’s most vulnerable, celebrating difference, building community, countering structural racism, sensitivity training, positive discrimination, calling–out culturally unsafe practices, behaviour–improvement programs, purity examinations, forced child marriages, watch–lists, drug–kingpins, lone–wolves, grooming gangs, international red notices, slogan–painted tents, quarantine camps, hospital ships, sovereign–citizens, capital city riots, resurgent right–wing authoritarianism, roll–back, social monism, remigration, involution
Confetti remnants of the 2012 Swans AFL team Victory Parade [Oct-2012 549KB]
Eat fresh
Marketeers tapped into a growing personalisation potential and famous craves
Upstairs food–court, Centrepoint Sydney [Dec-2019 82KB]
A new world order
The social contract had to be amended to quadruple the number of billionaires
Torn up posters on Parramatta Road, Strathfield [Jul-2014 419KB]
Follow your geodesic
Take another selfie and move on, criss–cross the planet to only find yourself
Posing tourists at Sydney Cove [Aug-2014 257KB]
Remarks
Allow plenty of extra travel time
Spatially mismatched cities where amenity, employment and education were deliberately centralised, forcing young families and essential workers to commute for hours from greenfield areas beyond the urban fringe
Trains on the T1 Western Line pass through Burwood Station [Apr-2015 230KB]
Direct instruction
Expert guidance, along with detailed interpretive panels, ensured Art was properly enjoyed
AGNSW tour guide, Sydney [Mar-2019 182KB]
Go anywhere in your whites
From keynote to creche, boxfresh white trainers were a must–have item
Three pram group, George Street Wynyard [Jun-2024 370KB]
Cultural aftershocks
The impact of the 911 terrorist attacks reverberated across all cultures and religions
911 Memorial park and museum, NYC [Oct-2017 301KB]
Puritanism without God
United by a shared vision of a progressive future. Unremittingly focused upon anti-discrimination, diversity, inclusion, migration and the acknowledgement of indigenous wisdom. Our beliefs were grounded in science, universal human rights and the correct use of culturally sensitive third–person pronouns
An air–filled waver during Sydney Swans AFL team celebrations, at Sydney Town Hall [Oct-2012 214KB]
We two formed a multitude
The first time we saw each other has not been forgotten
Abandoned shopping trolleys at Shoreline Drive in Rhodes [Dec-2015 402KB]
Living in a short here
It was taken for granted that we would live long productive lives
AGNSW volunteer guide, Sydney [Jul-2022 308KB]
The Wall is the Wall
Busking opposite Sydney Town Hall [Jan-2018 295KB]
Race Day chic
Ladies in the public enclosure did enjoy themselves during the Cup aftermath
Rosehill Racecourse, Melbourne Cup hairdresser’s picnic [Nov-2005 308KB]
Remarks
Go hard or go home
The more we studied history, the more we realised social decline was nothing new
“Harbour Sands” at Darling Harbour [Jan-2017 600KB]
The shadow of November 1989
The Atlantic–centred Cold War order unravelled as soon as the Wall came down
Council kerbside clean–up, Darling Point [Jan-2017 442KB]
Winning the argument
The only way to achieve positive social change was by performative resistance, protest and empowered agency
Pro–Palestine demonstrators on George Street, Sydney CBD [Aug-2014 215KB]
Everything was fine
We married our passion for the authentic interpretation of regional Spanish cuisine with a desire to celebrate the high quality fresh produce supplied by a close network of artisanal farmers
Ash Street restaurant, Sydney CBD [Jan-2019 182KB]
Luxury was a human right
Hollywood stars, $10K timepieces, begging for small–change
You get what you pay for at the Pitt Street Mall in Sydney [Sep-2023 279KB]
Molecular resonance
Free markets guaranteed an abundant reservoir of identical products and services
Nike Savas installation at Macquarie Centre, Sydney [Dec-2017 447KB]
Live your most authentic life
The best we could hope for was to become someone’s pet
Town Hall arcade begging, Sydney [Jul-2015 405KB]
Crucify your mind
I really thought that love would save us all
(Lennon, 1980)
The exterior of the Greek Orthodox church of Saint Peter & Paul (since repainted), at Petersham [Sep-2012 404KB]
Remarks
Клином the revolution
Despite a century of recreational activism, the Whites were not beaten by the Red Wedge
Mega mall at Auburn [May-2017 96KB]
Contumacious determination
Faithful servants of the court had a duty to finesse reality until outcomes matched expectations
Addison Road community centre, Marrickville [Sep-2012 193KB]
Cameo soulmate
Forget drinks after work, she said, and come straight to her new house; Greetings at the door with an affable smile, damp hair and a Simpsons T–shirt; She momentarily grabs my hand before showing me around, and then orders her hostile mother to leave; We finally agree to dine out and I look forward to telling her the Moscow birthday story; But the golden light fades while ascending Rae Street; Her fingers sparkle with unexpected rings; Heartfelt tales of an outsider girlhood seeking a better life; So elope fast, live really well and tick all the boxes she said; And other practical things
Project Halo at Central Park in Sydney [Nov-2022 340KB]
90% misdirection
Productivity was enhanced via use of mass–produced images of sex symbols
Workbench at the Pottery Estate, Lithgow [Jun-2019 454KB]
The one with the best notes wins
Half–step bends to voice for the next chord
Guitar seller, Winter Magic festival at Katoomba [Jun-2019 366KB]
Back to the beach
All thoughts eventually led to the sea
Surf carnival surf–skis, Manly beach [Jan-2021 303KB]
Faith over fear
1. I believe and hold to the truth of the Christian faith as set forth in the Apostles’ Creed […]
2. In particular I believe —
(a) there is only one way to be reconciled to God which is through His Son, Jesus Christ, who died for our trespasses and was raised for our justification; and
(b) that God’s word written, the Bible, is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
3. I acknowledge that [redacted] aims to educate young people in ways consistent with the teaching of the Bible and the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to this end I support the commitment to maintain and uphold the Christian faith in teaching and practice.
4. [redacted]
5. I agree that my continuance as a [redacted] staff member is dependent upon my continuing agreement with this declaration and I undertake to resign if this ceases to be the case.
Orthodox Christian church on Belgrave Street, Kogarah. The text is from a “2024 Statement of Faith” from a western Sydney fundamentalist school [Oct-2013 328KB]
Staying on message
Sectarian quarrelling endured for so long that it etched itself into the background
Evangelist installation (since removed) at Belmore Park, near Central station [Apr-2016 614KB]
Bench blanket bingo
Cover, cloak, cape, napkin, camouflage, shroud
Coalcliff station platform, South Coast NSW [Apr-2012 418KB]
Vector of ideological provocations
Passing the Bechdel Test with flying colours
Insta–friendly attraction at the 2024 Sydney Biennale at White Bay Power Station [Mar-2024 342KB]
Together at last
A journey of six thousand, seven hundred and twenty–four days began with a single step
Newly–weds at Grand Central Station, NYC [Oct-2017 257KB]
Cordon sanitaire
We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.
(EIIR, 2020)
Bollards at Warrimoo [Oct-2019 499KB]
I could have drunk a river
A couple of schooners, a case of Smirnoff Ice Double Black vodka, a few more shots at the Dragon Lounge, and I was yours
Abandoned refreshments near Gas Lane, in Millers Point [Jan-2014 396KB]
Community standards
Our suburbs were strewn with eye–popping enticements from agile entrepreneurs
Dulwich Hill skate park [Sep-2015 88KB]
Remarks
Survival of the richest
Our remaining days were spent counting our passive income, in the comfort and safety of our own bunkers
Australia’s richest street, Wolseley Road Point Piper [Sep-2012 312KB]
After the siren
11 touches, 5 tackles, 3 clearances and 1 goal. Controlling, Non–controlling, Boundary & Goal umpires. Yes! Go! Kick! Woohoo! Run! Stop! Mark! No! What?! Miss! Booo!
Exit Gate 3 ten minutes before the final siren. Shoving and yelling at Jolimont–MCG station. Front page, back page and 24–pages inside of pure footy analysis
Melbourne vs St Kilda AFL game, MCG Melbourne [Apr-2019 514KB]
Logic had nothing to do with oppression
Egalitarian architecture at Wunulla Road in Point Piper [Sep-2012 233KB]
Brett’s armchair
The same music in completely different hands
Room 82 on the sixteenth floor, Harbourside Apartments [Jan-2019 295KB]
Remarks
Character arc
An enormous effort was made to broaden the variety of gender roles
Sydney candid triptych [Oct-2014 296KB]
Forerunning the Great Stagnation
Before the 1990s, every decade had its own distinctive fashion and sense of style
The Krystyna Campbell–Pretty Fashion Gift, NGV Melbourne [Apr-2019 164KB]
The Law of Conservation of Sport
If bread ↓ then circus ↑
Footy supporters watch their team lose at Panthers Park [Jul-2003 440KB]
Pathways to freedom
Irregular migration was a test of our commitment to humanity, compassion and universal human rights
The Edge at Eureka Skydeck, Melbourne [Apr-2019 246KB]
Keeping the Sixties alive
The escape from post WWII Europe; The promise to a dead brother; The memory of a beloved wife; The customers who only came to stare
Olympia milk–bar & hair salon at Parramatta Road, Annandale. Permanently closed by council order in April 2017 and auctioned for redevelopment in 2023 [Jul-2016 473KB]
Driving home for Christmas
Childhood holidays strapped into the back–seat of a car
Christmas display, Centrepoint Sydney [Dec-2019 305KB]
Redefining perfection
You press the button, we do the rest
(Eastman, 1888)
Laurie Daley and fans at SOH [Jul-2014 336KB]
Grey nomads
The Big Lap added years to our lives
Covered motorcycles on Billyard Ave, Elizabeth Bay [Dec-2015 296KB]
Full Meta jacket
Despite the wide–ranging use of significant, robust and holistic evidence — the Epistemological Reflection upon the Manichaean Nature of Post–Analytical Nihilistic Communitarianism
was spoiled by unhelpfully self–referential endnotes
Infinite regression at Croydon [Sep-2016 105KB]
Teachable moments
At a time when issues of decolonisation and anti–racism were paramount, gallerists & curators taught us the moral imperative of correcting historical wrongs by celebrating reclamation, multiplicity and all things blak
Adrián Villar Rojas’ “The End of Imagination”, AGNSW [Dec-2022 80KB]
Remarks
Preserving social harmony
Our commitment to specific kinds of D.E.I. was unwavering
The waterfall entrance to the NGV, Melbourne [Apr-2019 525KB]
Remarks
Foamy frappuccino in a sea of amber
Our restaurant and coffee habits were never those of an anxious nation
Empty beer kegs outside the Abercrombie Hotel at Broadway [Oct-2012 227KB]
Rule, Britannia
Brexit was expertly handled by everyone who had a commitment to the free flow of capital across borders
Union Jack painted cab, Katoomba Antiques store [Sep-2024 342KB]
Rainbow connection
Everyone had a moral duty to embrace love, freedom, vigilance and an extremely loud gay life
Marriage Law Postal Survey posters outside the Imperial Hotel at Erskineville [Sep-2017 323KB]
Growing pains
People were encouraged to use public transport to reduce traffic congestion
Commuters on the St Kilda tram, Melbourne [Apr-2019 194KB]
Thought showers
To incentivise our key stakeholders, we touched base, actioned our settings, got all our ducks in a row and strategically up–levelled our synergies to facilitate a win–win paradigm
The repurposed cauldron from the best Olympic Games ever [Aug-2017 437KB]
Our plates in heaven
Meet the new God, same as the old God
Chefs’ Warehouse in the “old Tongan Church”, Regent Street Redfern [Jul-2023 304KB]
A fortress of your art
Few noticed the post–modern irony of appropriating the design of the Naval Range–finding Tower MP–3 at Pleinmont
Solomon R Guggenheim museum, NYC [Oct-2017 167KB]
Canine Nation
There were dogs everywhere in the Swiss Confederation. No really, everywhere… Buses, trams, trains, cars, cablecars and even gyrocopters. Boardrooms, bathyscaphes, boiler–rooms, server–farms, service–stations, substations, supermarkets, crawl–spaces, carillons, turbine halls and walk–in wardrobes. From the summits of mountains to the shores of isolated lakes. In forests hauling cheese–carts. On black–rated ski slopes, effortlessly gliding downhill. Or fording mighty rivers, their tails proudly held aloft. On roof–tops, down tunnels and evenly distributed across every field and plain. They’re blowing alphorns, standing for parliament and solving intricate sets of differential equations. Toward the end my journey they even started to infiltrate my dreams
On the second–last day I went for a walk with a woman who showed me around the Swiss Rivera. Of course she also brought her dog. Its name was “Chewy”, not merely because it resembled a certain LucasFilm™ character, but also to acknowledge what it spent 98.5% of its time doing. We went to Starbucks™, rode on a bus, chased some squawking swans and even visited Montreux Casino and Queen Museum — the dog always within shouting range. I told her: You know, I can think of one place you can’t bring your dog.
Where?!
she asked. An operating theatre!
She pondered that for a moment before replying: I guess it depends on the surgeon…
A well maintained Bernoi at Lake Geneva, in front of a waist–high railing. Looked up the breed later: […] the Bernese mountain dog is a high–maintenance breed because of their shedding and size. These dogs need frequent brushing and the drool–prone ones need a slobber rag. They’re also big enough that owners have to make sure they’re not knocking over people or furniture
[Feb-2024 437KB]
Fungible ideology
It required little effort to pivot from “SJW” to “WSJ”
Fearless Girl statue, NYC [Oct-2017 350KB]
The sun always shines on the Supreme Leader
The inspection of State Food Processing Plant #2193 inspired genuine patriots to dance and brandish flowers
Fast–food franchise at Old Canterbury Road, Hurlstone Park [Oct-2015 205KB]
Every city another Venice
From aquarium to fish–soup in one generation
Tourists at the McMahon Point ferry wharf, Sydney [Jan-2019 251KB]
Racquet Kultur
Watch, cheer, drink, boo, belch, repeat
Display Court #3 outside the Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne Tennis Centre [Apr-2019 309KB]
Expansionary austerity
Signs of recovery were hard to discern
Bird cages outside the China Lane restaurant, Angel Place Sydney [Oct-2013 285KB]
Electric evanescence
People would happily sing while hurling five–kilogram spheres
Strike Bowling, King Street Wharf Darling Harbour [Jan-2019 146KB]
Windows on the world
The Twin Towers loomed over everything
HMAS Vampire pendant number & anchor, Australian National Maritime Museum [May-2023 172KB]
Malpractice with impunity
The very first document, among more than a hundred in this folder, is a signed declaration by our client that he mixed up his patients and accidentally performed a full hysterectomy on the 36–year–old plaintiff. Correction — our client is [redacted], not the surgeon, who is merely a policy holder of our client.
Thanks. The surgeon admits, in writing, that he sterilised the plaintiff by doing an unauthorised procedure. This is undisputed — so why is this matter being dragged out for years with boilerplate requests for interrogatories, updated medical reports and dozens of discovery hearings? Well, it is our firm’s policy to thoroughly test the merits of all claims to discourage frivolous ones.
The plaintiff was harmed, the surgeon admitted negligence, so it cannot be “frivolous” and, frankly, our deliberate stalling borders upon unconscionable. I’ll say it again: it is our firm’s policy to test all claims to discourage frivolous ones…
The ghosts of lawyering among the tombstones at Camperdown cemetery, Newtown [Jun-2015 414KB]
Remarks
Gone a million
The rich were always with us
Abandoned Rolls–Royce at Hiles Street in Alexandria [Jun-2015 320KB]
Remarks
The natural order
Developers → Banks → Speculators → Mortgagors → Tennants → Unhoused
Fairy Bower café dog bowls, Manly [Jan-2021 501KB]
Enjoying the benefits of adequacy
Budget surpluses, rising house prices, vigorous job growth, decades of near–zero interest rates (until 2022)
Lewisham apartment redevelopment [Jul-2018 332KB]
Retrofitting diversity
From Apartheid
to Black Lives Matter
in only one generation
Bent Street, Lithgow. [Apr-2012 379KB]
One–way journey
On a sailing ship to nowhere, leaving any place
(Yes, 1971)
Ovation of the Seas cruise-ship at the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal [Dec-2017 158KB]
Remarks
A few personal blow–outs
Success, power, glamour, excuses, misstatements, lies
Corner of Pine and Cleveland, near Central [Jul-2017 352KB]
Fête Moderne
There was a tremendous disconnect between the amount of sex in our culture and the amount that people actually got
W–H portfolio session, Hurstville [Jun-1991 367KB]
Remarks
Suburban psychodrama
Our belief in a better tomorrow was expressed through our architecture
Front yard gate, Great Western Highway [May-2019 281KB]
Winning at the starting line
The torch was lit and there was magic in the air. Gold! Gold! Gold! For brands in an unprecedented premium integration ecosystem!
Party members and strategic partners cheered. Media–workers asked each other how they felt. Joyful parents in colourful T–shirts were interviewed. Writers witnessed lifelong dreams. Our half–sleeve tattooed heroes puffed & strained & flexed & paddled & skipped & flipped & hopped & twisted & splashed & bit their medals. We paid
The endlessly gushing fountain at Olympic Park, Sydney [Jan-2011 289KB]
Always someone for everyone
A society developed where most of one sex were only interested in a few of the other, resulting in bitterness, scorn and alienation for everyone else. Which led to a lot of hatred between the sexes, when what was really needed was empathy and compassion
Bollards at the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal, Circular Quay [Oct-2013 594KB]
Open borders made us vibrant
Migrants [were] integral members of Australian society, not just economic units to be managed
(ABC News, 2024)
Signs in Burwood’s Chinatown [May-2024 371KB]
Swans victory parade
Winning the AFL premiership was the most important thing
Victory parade aftermath outside the QVB, Sydney [Sep-2005 410KB]
Null pointers
Always remember who you were and what you fought for
Castlereagh Hotel Remembrance Shrine, Sydney [Jan-2019 185KB]
Dialectical virtuousness
A vanguard of activists, scholars, experts and media–workers declared it was their moral duty to reform everyone else’s morals
Rainbow house, Stanmore [Nov-2017 369KB]
How did we ever get here?
A ceaseless concrete mausoleum, seen through windscreens smeared with despair
Ventilation funnels atop the Kogarah Railway Station car–park [Apr-2011 70KB]
Magnificent isolation
The doorbell legit scares me now. I jump every time. It just seems so aggressive when you could just SMS
(WSJ, 2017)
Young Street terrace doorway (since repainted) at Annandale [Sep-2015 531KB]
Boxing day specials
Our cities were gradually fortified, one concrete block at a time
Anti vehicle–ramming barriers at George Street, Sydney [Dec-2017 202KB]
Equality of opportunity
Ignore the divisive class–war chatter, independent education and parental free choice were the cornerstones of a fair society and key to our ongoing economic success
GPS tennis courts in Stanmore [Sep-2012 254KB]
National days past
Australia Day used to be a day of patriotism, community and celebration (The Guardian, 2024)
In 2005, one of the many flag sellers in Hyde Park Sydney [Jan-2005 232KB]
All the comforts
Where even the humblest could afford the finer things in life
Vagrant bedding at St James Station, Sydney CBD [Sep-2023 455KB]
Scenes from the new world
Willkommenskultur guaranteed a kaleidoscope of culinary delights
Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne [Apr-2019 111KB]
Psychophysical conundrums
Why did the chicken cross the road?… Because it was neither a “road” nor a “chicken”
Sydenham pedestrian crossing [May-2023 779KB]
The big day
The bent–knee proposal in a fast–fоod restaurant; The princess–cut engagement ring; The lovely sangeet–inspired rehearsal dinner; The effortlessly stylish top–knot bun extension; The fake–tan; The lip augmentation injections; The adorable ivory patent leather classic ballerina flats; The bridesmaids’ hair extensions & wrist corsages & hand–printed yellow kaftans & daisy crowns & box–fresh white sneakers; The trending blood–red gel nail–extensions; The stunning $20k bespoke wedding dress; The delicious hand–selected vegetables picked from the chateau gardens; The awesome Ottolenghi–style vegetarian feasts with steaming pork bao; The hand–cut white peonies; The polka–dotted ribbon for the mason jars; The bubble cyclone machines; The Disney love songs; The rhinestone encrusted complimentary selfie sticks; The juggling flower–girl triplets; The wow–factor troupe of wedding drummers; The pack of ninja wedding paparazzi; The PolAir hovering above the reception; The flashing LED hula–hoops to get the guests dancing; The flash–mob of young lions doing a gorgeous TikTok™ dabke; The last–minute bridesmaid replacements; The honour–guard of kids from previous marriages; The Labradoodle ring–bearer; The two dozen pure white doves for the magazine–worthy gluten–free celebration cake… But best of all, what about the hot pink ride!…
Wedding–hire 14–seat H2 Stretch Hummer at Luna Park, Milsons Point [Oct-2014 248KB]
F2F heroes
Who was the faker and who was the fake?
Madame Tussauds Sydney, Darling Harbour [Jan-2019 115KB]
Underlying conditions
Health interests needed to be balanced with protecting the economy. It was accomplished by altering a few epidemiological definitions, statistically rationalising deaths and shifting the emphasis to personal responsibility
The Masked Passenger, near Glenbrook [Jan-2020 221KB]
In the thrall of Schedule 8
A considerable number of people spent their lives up the Cross
Fitzroy Gardens in Kings Cross [May-2003 438KB]
Remarks
Mr. Robot says “Hi”
The Dark Army aligned with the top 1% of the top 1% to dim the lights in a Stage 2 America
US Armed Forces recruiting station, Times Square NYC [Oct-2017 212KB]
Az Édes Élet
Between flavoursome mouthfuls, we would chat for hours about fusion & hats & che buono & charcuterie & amuse–bouches & soupçons & palette & texture & bon vivants & sommeliers & chef de cuisines & epic feasts & luscious celebrations & review vibes & queue–worthy & quotidian delights & gastronomic visions & signature–dishes & heirloom–recipes & swick! & oof!!! & performative carving & peak tabbouleh & best meltiest cheese & a whole new dimension in crunch … and all the countless things we loved or didn’t love to ingest
The Acland Cake Shop window display, St Kilda Melbourne [Apr-2019 405KB]
By this sign thou shalt conquer
Your dead loved one is communicating with us, so please go to the bank and send money to the Church so your loved one can ascend to heaven in the spirit world
South Head General Cemetery, Vaucluse [Nov-2016 159KB]
Fighting for peace
The common purpose of every action was “security”
The crypt beneath the Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne [Apr-2019 207KB]
Let the little children play
The Law Council of Australia issued a statement on Friday saying judicial immunity was “intrinsically related” to the independence of judges and their ability to fearlessly make decisions according to the law
Skippy Girls mural, Wilson Street Darlington [May-2022 319KB]
Points of light
Remember, remember the eleventh of November
Shrine of Remembrance, 11AM beam of light [Apr-2019 374KB]
Trouble in Luvvyland
Decades of progressive instruction about positive social change struggled to achieve the desired outcome
Apartment building at the top of View Street, Dunedin NZ [Nov-2017 487KB]
Subterranean homesick blues
You didn’t need a Snellen chart to see what was coming
Optometrist window display, Wilson Street Newtown [Jun-2023 287KB]
Remarks
Murder on the dance floor
The Enlightenment turned out to be a bunch of flashing lights in a discotheque
Queen Victoria Building “disco” Christmas lights, Sydney [Oct-2020 304KB]
Congratulations Mrs Nassif… you like?
There are many creditors and law enforcement agencies that are keen to speak to Mr Nassif. I would encourage him to make himself available to investigators in NSW so that we can find out exactly what he’s done in this state and what his potential liabilities are
(ABC News, 2023)
Banana-yellow Lamborghini at Paddington [Apr-2017 169KB]
Cultural attrition
Civility could not last forever in a vacuum
Wall graffiti on a Pitt Street Lane wall (subsequently demolished), near Town Hall [Oct-2012 409KB]
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Imagine no Holden Morrisey Caulfield
Strawberry Fields “Imagine” mosaic, Central Park NYC [Oct-2017 515KB]
Remarks
Waiting for the V–shaped recovery
It took nearly a century to progress from sound fundamentals
and prosperity around the corner
to bouncing back
and primed for lift–off next year
Broadway bus–stop beggar, Central [Jan-2020 100KB]
Haute couture
The entire fashion industry was trickle–down in its purest form
Step into Paradise Exhibition at Powerhouse Museum, Sydney [Jan-2020 444KB]
Punching down
In a changing world and with the best intentions, it wasn’t enough to use progressive argument to challenge expressions of racism, homophobia, sexism and misogyny. You had to prevent people from thinking racist, homophobic, sexist and misogynistic thoughts in the first place
Bruce Lee statue prior to unveiling at the Kogarah Town Centre [Mar-2011 213KB]
Laps around the sun
We left The Cure concert ages ago but her decrepit Ford Fiesta Mk1 wouldn’t start; Eventually some bloke gave us a jump–start, although he glanced so often at her lycra sleeveless turtleneck that she had to fold her arms (and stage whisper to me Next time remind me to wear a burqa
); Finally we’re speeding through a late winter night, yet she insists on driving with all the windows down; We pull in to a 24hr service station to refuel and decant a bottle of oil into the smoking engine; Arrive at her student–share terrace to climb the narrow interior stairs; Our quiet voices in her 3×3¾m room; Milk–crate furniture, overladen clothes rack, Chelsea Girls poster, cassettes, cigarettes, overstuffed ashtray, oil column heater, photocopied course–materials, fluorescent markers and a hot water bottle on her unmade bed; An incongruous National Geographic magazine with an Underground Railroad cover; Shove aside a week of clothes to sit on a red & white Mexican rug; She lights another cigarette and blows more smoke at the cone of light from the ceiling; I clean her fingerprint smeared spectacles and she beams with delight; In the background a mechanical alarm–clock ticks; She finally confides why I was there: Because my current boyfriend prefers to spend his time swinging on a tyre rope…
Curled up in each other’s arms; Fingers through her clean snaggly hair; Playful kisses on her nose; She tells me about her neglected childhood, which prompts gentle teasing about her diamond ear–studs; Her round face and large brown eyes; The faintest wisp of a moustache; Peel off her clothes and trace the seam–marks on her soft flesh; The axillary hair stubble and fine black hairs on her lower abdomen; The perfume in unexpected places; Her laugh; Her voice; Her curves; Her smell, and mouth, and teeth, and fingernails, and warmth; Her icy cold feet; Her light brown areolae; Her surprisingly small cot
Turning circle (since repainted) outside Central Station, Sydney [Mar-2019 763KB]
Remarks
Latter–day Bloomsbury
We’ve ended up with an inner–city hive of woke workers, hiring woke friends to do their woke work in their quest to “wokify” the world
(Senator J.McGrath, 2021)
Freethought Book Exchange (since demolished) at Regent Street Chippendale [Apr-2014 380KB]
Ever present eyes
A watchful environment loaded with photographers to record your every moment
Anzac Day photographers, Park Street Sydney [Apr-2018 269KB]
All those moments
If only we had off–world colonies for a chance to begin again
Times Square, NYC [Oct-2017 380KB]
Lambos to the moon
It was an era of unending optimism when vast fortunes were made without effort. When cashed–up families prospered, inflation was beaten (until 2022) and credit was easy at near–zero rates (until 2022). When average mums & dads became CEOs, collected NFTs (until 2023), leased out short–term rentals and bet hard on cryptocurrencies. When stock markets kept rising to record heights, and house values ballooned to what looked like a permanently high plateau…
Living statue performer at Circular Quay [Jul-2017 348KB]
Remarks
The post–industrial well–being complex
A lifetime of small authentic moments, where we honoured our feelings, blessed mindfulness, curated radical self–love, feasted from the whole pantry, applied exacting combinations of essential oils, aligned our vibrational energy, recharged at luxury psychotherapeutic retreats, embraced our expansion, cultivated eudaemonic joy and followed our heart–led bliss down the path to soulistic wellness
Sydney Olympic Park RSPCA stall [May-2018 288KB]
Break with the past
Artefacts of violence for a new millennium
The remains of the North Tower transmission mast at the 911 Memorial Museum [Oct-2017 490KB]
Discrimination positive
Everyone agreed that a person’s worth could only be determined by the number of their X–chromosomes
Extended phenotypes at Addison Road in Marrickville [Sep-2012 240KB]
Free at last
Your mega–mortgage turned out to be a perfect forced–savings vehicle
Victoria Street terrace, Kings Cross [Jul-2018 374KB]
Grand theft generations
Safe in our gated communities and looking down from our luxury apartments in the sky
Jacksons Landing at Pyrmont in Sydney [Jan-2013 139KB]
Without bias or agenda
Journalism is the pursuit of verifiable truth — it’s an existential fight against conspiracy theories, fake news, voluble opinions, false balance, online bandwagons & talking points; against activists who claim to be in the truth business, but are actually in the point–of–view business
(The Guardian, 2018)
State of Origin victory celebration for the NSW Blues at the Northern Broad–walk, Sydney Opera House [Jul-2014 262KB]
Electric tribalism
Everyone wandered around with no idea what was about to happen
Preparations for the 2019 Australia Day celebrations, Campbells Cove Sydney [Jan-2019 325KB]
Quick reno reaps a motza
A place where we could become our best selves by focusing on the smaller, more controllable world of Home
Darling Point renovations, Sydney [Jan-2017 399KB]
Window dressing
The “glass cliff” was a convenient way to disregard systemic corporate dysfunction
Office building window–washers, Martin Place [Sep-2023 347KB]
摆 烂
By using Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era
, the Central Committee of the CCP reshaped the Motherland into a wise, benevolent and evergrande superpower, who was a positive force for good across the world
St Collins Lane upstairs food court, Melbourne [Apr-2019 403KB]
Put the person before the disability
Inclusiveness meant telling everyone how much you cared
Beneath the Western Distributor on Harris Street in Ultimo [Jan-2013 266KB]
Revisiting the Heavenly Kingdom
Exploring the space which divides contemporary art from its viewers
Projected art installation at the 2024 Sydney Biennale at White Bay Power Station [Mar-2024 200KB]
Private splendour
The poorest people with the most expensive phones; the best cars on the worst roads; the smartest children in the most dilapidated schools
Luxury cars gleam in the parking space behind a Kogarah real–estate agency [Apr-2011 137KB]
It was just a jump to the left
Everyone assumed an informed liberal democracy would sweep the world
Pedestrian passageway at Potts Point [Dec-2015 541KB]
A fit country for heroes to live in
With a place for everyone and everyone in their place
Unhoused on Pitt Street Mall, Sydney [May-2016 478KB]
Remarks
The Goombas are dancing again
The partisan audience shouted abuse at the stage and each other; The orchestra kept playing through the din; Its disdainful conductor rolled his eyes; The choreographer stood backstage on a chair and yelled prompts at the lurching & stomping performers; The grinning impresario flicked the house lights on/ off; The bewildered composer retreated from the auditorium in disgust… And a few astute observers caught a glimpse of a world hurtling towards its own destruction
Egan Street terrace, Newtown [Nov-2022 435KB]
True deliverance make
Be sure your sins will find you out
Clothesline posts at Millers Point [Aug-2016 298KB]
Looking back
Let silent contemplation be your offering
Hall of Memory, Anzac Memorial Sydney [Apr-2023 266KB]
Forever wars
For decades we believed it was peace for our time
“To Poseidon” sculpture by Xia Hang, at the Australian National Maritime Museum [Apr-2019 389KB]
Crusading in circles
All the bright lights could not conceal the darkness
Luna Park Friday night rides [Jan-2019 443KB]
Significant Form
From the poop–deck of a Dreadnought to the lighthouse on the banks of the River Ouse, bunga–bunga until the last light fades
Cape Bowling Green Lighthouse, ANMM Darling Harbour Sydney [Nov-2021 266KB]
Magic sponge
During mass at our spiritual home in St. Bernardino, the archreferee would hold aloft the Sacred Sphere and bestow upon us a homily of his most holy blessing: Kind friends, VVIPs, Ultras and Hottest–WAGs, we are gathered here on St. Totteringham’s Day to drink beers and throw flares, onto this, our most honoured turf. To soar heavenward upon Mexican Waves while singing “Sweet Caroline”. To give 110% when sports–washing the unsaved. To throw sardines into the sea from the back of a trawler. To find the back of the net, a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God. For winners win forever big, and losers must fall hard. So please take a knee, wrap your Keffiyeh tight and raise your Vuvuzelas for the national benediction: Our Footy, who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy game. Thy Kingdom score, thy bets be more, on phones as it is in Qatar. In nomine Blatter, et FIFA, et Spiritus Alea… You may now invade the pitch
Sports promotion at Olympic Park [Aug-2017 244KB]
Remarks
The great distraction
Society pressured people not to see, hear or speak about the elephant in the room
(SciAM, 2024)
Golden living statue, Circular Quay Sydney [Jun-2024 445KB]
A story of the margins
Park your car in the gutted remains of where people once earned a living
Ex–Arnotts biscuit factory car park at North Strathfield [Jun-2017 458KB]
Some vague semblance of community
Democracy continued to best serve the interests of those who were most invested
NSW election voting centre at Town Hall [Mar-2019 552KB]
Remarks
A modest proposal
Advocates of progressive social change insisted the choice was morally obvious. 9.4M voters disagreed
2023 Referendum placards, at Surry Hills & Darlington [Sep-2023 265KB]
Smokers soiree
We couldn’t imagine there would be a time when almost no one smoked in public
UNSW Revue director and producer A–H, at an after–show party at Darlinghurst [May-1985 206KB]
Remarks
Life under the occupation
The Fragmented became harmonised when staff were made to compile their own dossiers
Revolving doors at the ANZ bank building, in Castlereagh Street [Aug-2014 182KB]
Remarks
Unleash your inner daemon
Pets lifted our spirits and reminded us of who we really were
On the Parramatta ferry to Abbotsford [Mar-2015 320KB]
Defence renaissance
After decades of cutbacks, drawdowns and ceaseless criticism from keyboard–warriors, governments had to renew defence spending when a new series of proxy–wars broke out
Anzac Day Air Force personnel, Hyde Park Sydney [Apr-2023 233KB]
Remarks
Carnival ride
As we grew older, we craved the luxurious splendour and pampering that only floating Xanadus could provide
Majestic Princess cruise–ship, Circular Quay [Jan-2020 242KB]
Black hat/ white hat
Choose whichever suited your personality
Black GMC Hummer versus white Chevrolet Corvette, Newtown [Sep-2023 327KB]
Lamp beside the golden door
During a time of global mass migration, decades of multiculturalism turned out to be an unqualified success (Turnbull, 2017)
St Pauls Cathedral congregation after Good Friday service, Melbourne [Apr-2019 276KB]
Red lights all the way
Yet another branded installation among all the others
Campari Bar at the 2024 Sydney Biennale at White Bay Power Station [Mar-2024 293KB]
Without the Roaring Twenties
The green light at the end of the dock remained forever out of reach
Bradleys Head lighthouse [Aug-2023 236KB]
Aston, Porsha & Mersaydees
Part of Bogan Pride was to give your children homophonous names of brands you hoped they would one day steal
Excavation of an ex–service station at Bullaburra in the Blue Mountains [Feb-2011 405KB]
Sliding towards the Khilafah
Remember, do not stop shooting even if u see women or kids — no mercy is Rule One
(Haroon, 2016)
Lindt Café siege flower memorial at Martin Place, Sydney [Dec-2014 494KB]
403 Forbidden
It became necessary to destroy Justice in order to save the Legal System
Having humanitarian principles can occasionally produce a less than ideal result. So, pursuant to s.8(e) of the NSW Court Suppression and Non–publication Orders Act 2010, along with the strict confidentiality provisions under s.462 of the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW), the purpose(s), if any, of including this scene in this project cannot be disclosed for legal reasons. [Sep-2014 106KB]
The Great White Fleet
Every Wednesday afternoon we would close our practice early to go down to the harbour and potter about in yachts
Sydney harbour boats and ferries [Oct-2014 451KB]
There be dragons
While yum–cha carts circled the dining room and various sea creatures lolled about in fish–tanks on the walls, she told me about travel in Asia and the Greek Islands, where she also worked at a motor–scooter rental. Then, while delicately manoeuvring pork dumplings with her chopsticks, she recounted sexual adventures with Greek teenage boys she’d met at the beach, whom she disparaged as beautiful but stupid. Upon returning to Sydney in 1990 she worked for a while in a Chippendale brothel — as a receptionist she hastened to add — and spent a lot of time fending off amorous clients and bicycle couriers. I remarked she had come a long way since her job at Waratah Park, although she still seemed to be working with animals. She laughed at that
Restaurant alleyway, World Square [Jul-2024 384KB]
Mission statement
We auctioned the Glory of the coming of the Lord
A de–consecrated Anglican church at Warrimoo, in the Blue Mountains [Jul-2011 155KB]
Of a far country
So we’ll be in Moscow at the same time!
she said, I’ll be working at [redacted]. Look me up and I’ll show you around!
If only it was that easy…
Arrived in Budapest in September and visited IBUSZ to book a return flight for December. They stalled for so many weeks that I had to take a weekend flight to Warsaw to buy the tickets from there. Then had to find the address of the [redacted] Moscow office. No internet or smart–phones back then, but figured a large international law firm should have a branch in Budapest. So phone–directory, metro, villamos, Úttörővasút and walk forever to a weird District II suburban address at the city outskirts. No one home. Schlep back to the Belügyminisztérium in Buda, catch a paternoster up three storeys then wander along corridors lined with huge soundproof doors to strike out again, as they had the same defunct address as I had just come from. Suggested I visit the US Embassy a few blocks away. Tried to, but the M16A2 equipped Marines kept me in a locked cage at the entrance while I spoke to an embassy official on the mezzanine above. No Moscow address, but they could provide a Budapest address a few blocks away, which she threw down in an envelope for one the marines to hand over. Visited the Budapest office, obtained the Moscow address, and I was finally set. Departure day and almost miss the fight from Ferihegy Airport as I was 45 minutes late waiting for a bus which left from a different bus–stop in the morning. The plane door was being closed as I ran on.
The more obstacles shoved into my path, the more determined I became to overcome them…
Finally Mockba, 12 Dec 1991, her 23rd birthday. Metro into town from Filyovskiy Park. Street map orienteering to a small office on Bolshoy Gnezdnikovskiy Pereulok. Am blocked at the door by armed guards who wouldn’t let me pass until I showed them my Australian passport. I ask at reception if birthday girl was there. They had never heard of her. Confirmed it was the [redacted] branch office, part of the same international law firm where she worked in Sydney. They could see I was despondent confused, so a woman from personnel invited me to her office while she searched her files. There had been a couple of people from Australia, but none from Sydney. Birthday girl had never worked there. No they weren’t expecting anyone to join them later. Would I like a cup of coffee? Why not.
I had criss–crossed post–communist Europe for weeks to arrive at the exact spot where I needed to be, except she wasn’t there. At least it would be an interesting story to tell when I saw her next
Tverskoy District afternoon, Moscow [Dec-1991 386KB]
Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus
The political/ bureaucratic/ media-worker axis became so fixated on antisemitism that all other forms of religious intolerance were ignored
St Stephens Anglican Church vandalism, Penrith [Jun-2022 333KB]
Strategic Hamlet
I could be bound in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space
(Shakespeare, 1603)
Wharf Terrace disabled–access elevator at Lincoln Crescent in Woolloomooloo [Jan-2012 165KB]
Release the bats
Canned music, caterwauling karaoke & wall–to–wall poker–machines
Nick Cave and The Birthday Party at Sydney University Refectory [Jan-1982 330KB]
Together alone
We loved each other like it was the end of the world
Cockle Bay promenade, Darling Harbour [Dec-2003 453KB]