I made a soundscape about a year ago to exhibit in a great project called the Sublimation project curated by Daniel Savage for the You Are Here Festival. Daniel invited a number of artists to make work for the show - and then a second group to make responses to the original works, translating the ideas or approaches into another medium.
For you are here I recorded sounds and stories from the Causeway in Kingston and the Jerrabomberra Wetlands at the end of Lake Burley Griffin.
I responded to a work made by Kate Smith that sourced stories from Canberra archives and reproduced them in the form of letters that could be found by the Festival attendees located around the festival hub, http://youareherecanberra.com.au/event/postscript/ Reading through Kate Smith’s letters about the history of Canberra I was drawn to the ones that mentioned the areas around where I live and have lived. Having grown up in the inner South, and moving back to this side of town after years spent living in the inner North and Queanbeyan I feel embedded in the familiar rhythms of Canberra life, but also aware of how the city has changed around me.
Blueberry St is the last street in the part of Kingston known as The Causeway. This is one of the older parts of Canberra and has a colourful history, having housed workers in the early days of the construction of the city. It is mostly inhabited by public housing tenants and has formed a strong sense of community. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stay in the house I’m living in, and wonder what will happen to the Causeway in future as the city continues to develop. Right now I pay attention to the stories people tell me about the area and observe the comings and goings of the birds and animals over the seasons, appreciating the nearby wetlands and the sense that while I’m living in the middle of a city, my home feels like it is still an isolated farmhouse.