Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Crime info mapped?
Hey does anyone know where I can find crime/violence data mapped geographically for Redfern?
History of the block via Michael Mundine Interview
http://www.redfernoralhistory.org/Default.aspx?tabid=163
A, B, C, Nigger
Very articulate- well written article. Pretty much sums up my experience.
http://carolom.wordpress.com/2007/12/21/nigger-and-the-a-b-c-of-racism-here-in-australia/
http://carolom.wordpress.com/2007/12/21/nigger-and-the-a-b-c-of-racism-here-in-australia/
International Indigenous News Service
A provocative blog/site representing indigenous people worldwide.
Erik- check the tent embassy article...
http://angryindian.blogspot.com/2007_09_02_archive.html
Erik- check the tent embassy article...
http://angryindian.blogspot.com/2007_09_02_archive.html
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
Urban spelunking
Urban exploration (spelunking) is the examination of the normally unseen or off-limits parts of urban areas or industrial facilities. Urban exploration is also commonly referred to as infiltration, although some people consider infiltration to be more closely associated with the exploration of active or inhabited sites. It may also be referred to as "draining" (when exploring drains) "urban spelunking", and "urban caving", "vadding", "trolling", "building hacking", "reality hacking" or "roof and tunnel hacking". This form of hacking can also take place in 'active buildings'.
Check out:
http://weburbanist.com/2007/08/05/urban-exploration-beginners-guide-to-adventures-in-building-infiltration/
http://www.infiltration.org/abandoned.html
Check out:
http://weburbanist.com/2007/08/05/urban-exploration-beginners-guide-to-adventures-in-building-infiltration/
http://www.infiltration.org/abandoned.html
Hey can i get some feedback please, as you know I was struggling and would appreciate some comments to see if i'm finally on the right track...
Thank You!
Argument
Outsiders believe redfern is a scary and unsafe place. They fear this area mostly from what they have heard in the media about the indigenous Australia that reside in the area and the way some parts of the area look.
An interview with a non indigenous resident has said “that they don’t think redfern is a scary and dangerous place”. This was furthered by an interview with an indigenous local who also said “there is nothing to fear in Redfern”. The research and interviews with indigenous people as part of this assessment has made us face this fear and spend time in the area and i have come to realise that it isn’t as bad as we hear from the media. Certain areas may be run down and people may hang out on the streets in groups but when approaching these people for a chat we found that they were actually very friendly and talkative.
Method
This activism method aims to investigate the opinions of redfern local, indigenous and non indigenous regarding the above issue. The investigation aims to convince people (people outside the area) that redfern residents feel safe so why don’t you!!! Especially since they actually have firsthand experience with being in the area.
HOW- blank sheet with catchy title and brief explanation(to be designed). On the Left Side there is a pocket of stickers(to be designed) that people are to stick on the blank sheet if they agree with the statement/argument.
Viable and effective method
Optional to participate in and the results/ outcomes can be seen (if participated in).
Thank You!
Argument
Outsiders believe redfern is a scary and unsafe place. They fear this area mostly from what they have heard in the media about the indigenous Australia that reside in the area and the way some parts of the area look.
An interview with a non indigenous resident has said “that they don’t think redfern is a scary and dangerous place”. This was furthered by an interview with an indigenous local who also said “there is nothing to fear in Redfern”. The research and interviews with indigenous people as part of this assessment has made us face this fear and spend time in the area and i have come to realise that it isn’t as bad as we hear from the media. Certain areas may be run down and people may hang out on the streets in groups but when approaching these people for a chat we found that they were actually very friendly and talkative.
Method
This activism method aims to investigate the opinions of redfern local, indigenous and non indigenous regarding the above issue. The investigation aims to convince people (people outside the area) that redfern residents feel safe so why don’t you!!! Especially since they actually have firsthand experience with being in the area.
HOW- blank sheet with catchy title and brief explanation(to be designed). On the Left Side there is a pocket of stickers(to be designed) that people are to stick on the blank sheet if they agree with the statement/argument.
Viable and effective method
Optional to participate in and the results/ outcomes can be seen (if participated in).
interesting precedent
CORDOBA
Muslim Spain was a land where Muslims, Jews and Christians
co-existed in relative peace and harmony.
Its capital, Cordoba, although not unique amongst Spanish
cities, became the centre and focus for generations of
revered and respected philosophers, physicians and scholars. By the 10th century Cordoba was one of the largest cities in the world.
Was this period of apparent tolerance underpinned by a
respect for each other’s sacred texts?
What led to the eventual collapse of Cordoba and Islamic Spain?
And are we guilty of over-romanticising this so-called golden
age of co-existence?
listen to BBC live interview
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/inourtime/inourtime_20021121.shtml
Muslim Spain was a land where Muslims, Jews and Christians
co-existed in relative peace and harmony.
Its capital, Cordoba, although not unique amongst Spanish
cities, became the centre and focus for generations of
revered and respected philosophers, physicians and scholars. By the 10th century Cordoba was one of the largest cities in the world.
Was this period of apparent tolerance underpinned by a
respect for each other’s sacred texts?
What led to the eventual collapse of Cordoba and Islamic Spain?
And are we guilty of over-romanticising this so-called golden
age of co-existence?
listen to BBC live interview
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/inourtime/inourtime_20021121.shtml
Thursday, August 14, 2008
street art- reawakening a sense of connection to the environment
" In an urban environment it becomes necessary to form a direct connection with the landscape , with aspects of the natural world, or with a greater community. Creating street art is one way to foster that connection. By adding to the landscape I am reclaiming it as my own-- I am now an active participant in how it operates and a partial creator of its complex language. "
from \ The Guerilla Art Kit by Keri Smith
princeton architectural press, NY 2007
from \ The Guerilla Art Kit by Keri Smith
princeton architectural press, NY 2007
Redfern is kick'n
LET ME TELL YOU A STORY
One of the things characteristic of this community is the telling of stories. The stories can be anything - the sublime, terrible, funny, shocking, sad or too long, every story is received and acknowledged. Chatting to the hardware owner about his retail neighbour I heard the story about the shoeman and how he had changed. Ever since his wife died 5 years ago he has never been the same. "If you ask to interview him he will be cranky and abusive - I warn you now" said the shopowner. Hand in hand with storytelling goes laughter. Beneath and through the overwhelming heaviness of past injustices in Redfern is a constant river of laughter. It can break out at any time, suddenly, unexpectedly.
GLORY, GLORY TO SOUTH SYDNEY
Founded in 1908 at Redfern Town Hall, South Sydney football club has been a personified member of the Redfern community. People talk about the team as if it were a character that they knew, an old friend...someone that their father, grandfather and their father knew.
Like horseracing - a popular community activity in colonial Sydney - barracking for the Rabbitohs is a social leveller. Supporting the South Sydney Football team is a common bond shared amongst people living in the area as well as with people outside of Redfern. When you ask a local about the Rabbitohs they always have an in depth opinion on the game, Russell Crowe, the players or the good old days. This subculture is encapsulated in sites that exist around Redfern such as "The Raging Bunny" a pub near "the block".
Wearing supporter gear may be a great way to connect with the the local community in your interventions, just as in the video we saw of interventions with the construction workers connecting with the students wearing hardhats.
STRONG HEARTBEAT BENEATH THE SURFACE
"Redfern has a REAL...STRONG heartbeat beneath the surface" - Debbie Anne Evans, Manager Redfern City of Sydney, One Stop Shop.
Chatting to Debbie about the local community, herself a resident, it became evident that a strong community spirit where people really look out for each other exists in Redfern. The number of local community groups and organisations that cater for all sectors of the Redfern community and the frequency of activities came as a shock. Whilst there are various community groups in other suburbs of the inner city I have not heard of a community so 'activated'.
On surface value, which is often the impression you get when you 'visit' a suburb, Redfern can be violent, people are dislocated and disadvantaged. These surface conditions are regularly on display in prominent public areas such as outside Redfern railway station.
MAPPING THE LOCAL
Putting an ear to the ground - what do the locals say about Redfern? What are the daily rituals witnessed, what are the idiosyncracies that people notice in the comings and goings of Redfern... who are the characters, what aspects do locals acknowledge and celebrate with humour. This list for a map bookmarks the local...
"Cheapest meat in Sydney" - butcher shop claiming to sell the cheapest meat in Sydney (also the cheapest display in Sydney)
"Last legs" - fruit and vegetable shop that stocks very cheap produce that only lasts for a day when you take it home.
The unspoken rule of the "alley giveth and the alley taketh away". If you want to throw something out - leave it at your back entrance to the laneway. If you want to find something you might need - walk the laneways to see what there is.
Russian Women - group of elderly women that live in the waterloo towers. Every week on pension day they catch the bus to go shopping. It holds the bus up because they take a while to get on and off. Thanks to this small demographic though there is a continental deli nearby stocking Russian fare.
The shoeman in the main street of Redfern - will tell you that the sole he puts on will outlive your shoe.
The resident that hates dogs - everytime he sees one he yells out "Doggggcatcher!" I think he also suffers from dementia.
DEVELOPER GREED
This is a big issue in Redfern. People are seeing the planning practices of local community involvement become merely token. In the end it doesn't really matter what locals say because decisions are being made at higher levels and out of control of local council. The perception is that Developers want to put skyscrapers everywhere. The most recent approved proposal was for a tower to replace the Redfern rsl club behind the TNT tower.
Last week I saw a program on the ABC about the Blacksmith located at The Eveleigh Railywards. The business owner has been there for 18 years and maintains and runs the original blacksmith works of Technology Park. Now the managing authority want to end his lease and not replace his services... no doubt a higher rent can be obtained with development of this part of the site.
One of the things characteristic of this community is the telling of stories. The stories can be anything - the sublime, terrible, funny, shocking, sad or too long, every story is received and acknowledged. Chatting to the hardware owner about his retail neighbour I heard the story about the shoeman and how he had changed. Ever since his wife died 5 years ago he has never been the same. "If you ask to interview him he will be cranky and abusive - I warn you now" said the shopowner. Hand in hand with storytelling goes laughter. Beneath and through the overwhelming heaviness of past injustices in Redfern is a constant river of laughter. It can break out at any time, suddenly, unexpectedly.
GLORY, GLORY TO SOUTH SYDNEY
Founded in 1908 at Redfern Town Hall, South Sydney football club has been a personified member of the Redfern community. People talk about the team as if it were a character that they knew, an old friend...someone that their father, grandfather and their father knew.
Like horseracing - a popular community activity in colonial Sydney - barracking for the Rabbitohs is a social leveller. Supporting the South Sydney Football team is a common bond shared amongst people living in the area as well as with people outside of Redfern. When you ask a local about the Rabbitohs they always have an in depth opinion on the game, Russell Crowe, the players or the good old days. This subculture is encapsulated in sites that exist around Redfern such as "The Raging Bunny" a pub near "the block".
Wearing supporter gear may be a great way to connect with the the local community in your interventions, just as in the video we saw of interventions with the construction workers connecting with the students wearing hardhats.
STRONG HEARTBEAT BENEATH THE SURFACE
"Redfern has a REAL...STRONG heartbeat beneath the surface" - Debbie Anne Evans, Manager Redfern City of Sydney, One Stop Shop.
Chatting to Debbie about the local community, herself a resident, it became evident that a strong community spirit where people really look out for each other exists in Redfern. The number of local community groups and organisations that cater for all sectors of the Redfern community and the frequency of activities came as a shock. Whilst there are various community groups in other suburbs of the inner city I have not heard of a community so 'activated'.
On surface value, which is often the impression you get when you 'visit' a suburb, Redfern can be violent, people are dislocated and disadvantaged. These surface conditions are regularly on display in prominent public areas such as outside Redfern railway station.
MAPPING THE LOCAL
Putting an ear to the ground - what do the locals say about Redfern? What are the daily rituals witnessed, what are the idiosyncracies that people notice in the comings and goings of Redfern... who are the characters, what aspects do locals acknowledge and celebrate with humour. This list for a map bookmarks the local...
"Cheapest meat in Sydney" - butcher shop claiming to sell the cheapest meat in Sydney (also the cheapest display in Sydney)
"Last legs" - fruit and vegetable shop that stocks very cheap produce that only lasts for a day when you take it home.
The unspoken rule of the "alley giveth and the alley taketh away". If you want to throw something out - leave it at your back entrance to the laneway. If you want to find something you might need - walk the laneways to see what there is.
Russian Women - group of elderly women that live in the waterloo towers. Every week on pension day they catch the bus to go shopping. It holds the bus up because they take a while to get on and off. Thanks to this small demographic though there is a continental deli nearby stocking Russian fare.
The shoeman in the main street of Redfern - will tell you that the sole he puts on will outlive your shoe.
The resident that hates dogs - everytime he sees one he yells out "Doggggcatcher!" I think he also suffers from dementia.
DEVELOPER GREED
This is a big issue in Redfern. People are seeing the planning practices of local community involvement become merely token. In the end it doesn't really matter what locals say because decisions are being made at higher levels and out of control of local council. The perception is that Developers want to put skyscrapers everywhere. The most recent approved proposal was for a tower to replace the Redfern rsl club behind the TNT tower.
Last week I saw a program on the ABC about the Blacksmith located at The Eveleigh Railywards. The business owner has been there for 18 years and maintains and runs the original blacksmith works of Technology Park. Now the managing authority want to end his lease and not replace his services... no doubt a higher rent can be obtained with development of this part of the site.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Parking for white cars only
An intervention precedent people may find useful:
Parking For White Cars Only is a temporary project by Helmut, which took place in a parking garage in 2006. The best parking-spots were accessible for white cars only.
My Thoughts So far
Redfern a place where there is a perplexed idea of the danger, the perilous mentality of a visitor, the feeling of ‘alien’ in a place portrayed as unsafe.
A community of mixed culture, a place of diverse corridors of society, a enraged place, a nervous place, a fascinating place, a welcoming place, a city within the city.
A place of Art, of culture, of community, of people, a place of poverty and of riches. This place is Redfern, a place of heritage, of history, a place of controversy.
A quiet transition of the neighbouring CBD, visited by cars only to pass through, visited by people only to pass through, a city at peak hours, with only one goal to get to the station, to get to work, to go home, to get out of there as soon as they can. A place of desertion after six o clock , the bee line on the streets slowly disperse, the dangerous city is in play.
The Block, the intersection passing the station, you don’t dare look, you wouldn’t dare enter, its is a no go place for the visitor, the outsider, the know only would travel through.
This is a place of destitution, a place of one welcomed community, a place of suspicion if a unknown entered, a frightening place, a watchful place, a curious place, a culture, a fascinating urban block.
Art and expression, the streets of Redfern communicate its idea, its feeling, its vulnerability, its culture. Discovery of a place, where street art shows community, shows ideas, shows protest, shows the situation which has problematically idealistically became the perception of Redfern.
A street gallery, a nomadic art, ever changing artwork, transforming over time. The controversial war with council, wiping clean this expression, one day its there the next its taken away with a fresh coat of paint.
Why is expression so important in a city of such controversy?
Why is this expression not know to the frequent visitor of Redfern?
Why is this expression hidden and only found by the ‘investigator’?
A community of mixed culture, a place of diverse corridors of society, a enraged place, a nervous place, a fascinating place, a welcoming place, a city within the city.
A place of Art, of culture, of community, of people, a place of poverty and of riches. This place is Redfern, a place of heritage, of history, a place of controversy.
A quiet transition of the neighbouring CBD, visited by cars only to pass through, visited by people only to pass through, a city at peak hours, with only one goal to get to the station, to get to work, to go home, to get out of there as soon as they can. A place of desertion after six o clock , the bee line on the streets slowly disperse, the dangerous city is in play.
The Block, the intersection passing the station, you don’t dare look, you wouldn’t dare enter, its is a no go place for the visitor, the outsider, the know only would travel through.
This is a place of destitution, a place of one welcomed community, a place of suspicion if a unknown entered, a frightening place, a watchful place, a curious place, a culture, a fascinating urban block.
Art and expression, the streets of Redfern communicate its idea, its feeling, its vulnerability, its culture. Discovery of a place, where street art shows community, shows ideas, shows protest, shows the situation which has problematically idealistically became the perception of Redfern.
A street gallery, a nomadic art, ever changing artwork, transforming over time. The controversial war with council, wiping clean this expression, one day its there the next its taken away with a fresh coat of paint.
Why is expression so important in a city of such controversy?
Why is this expression not know to the frequent visitor of Redfern?
Why is this expression hidden and only found by the ‘investigator’?
REFERENCES
HEY - HERE IS A BIBILOGRAPHY FROM AN ESSAY I DID LAST YEAR ON REDFERN
ITS GOT SOME HANDY TEXTS + WEBSITES...
ITS GOT SOME HANDY TEXTS + WEBSITES...
land ownership in redfern
HEY THERE ARE GREAT MAPPED OUT STATS ON REDFERN ON
http://www.abs.gov.au/ +
http://www.redwatch.org.au/redw/aboutredw/stats
THOUGHT SOMEBODY MIGHT FIND THESE USEFULL...
Demographics + Democracy + Gentrification = ?
Many say that in its essence gentrification is the process of replacing the socially impoverished/disadvantaged with yuppies.
What kind of homogenous, bland, singular culture do we as a democratic nation wish to allow?
We vote the politicians in, but it is often the property developers money that pays for the
marketing campaigns that facilitate their election. Therefore, who are they really working for?
What kind of homogenous, bland, singular culture do we as a democratic nation wish to allow?
We vote the politicians in, but it is often the property developers money that pays for the
marketing campaigns that facilitate their election. Therefore, who are they really working for?
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
history lesson
its not the first time they kick people off the land in Redfern..
From Wikipedia:
"The notorious Redfern Mail Exchange was built in 1965, after 300 people were evicted from their homes on the 2.15 hectare site. It became the scene of many industrial disputes when the automatic mail-sorting machinery which was supposed to sort efficiently, actually destroyed many letters. It became known as the Redfern Mangler."
From Wikipedia:
"The notorious Redfern Mail Exchange was built in 1965, after 300 people were evicted from their homes on the 2.15 hectare site. It became the scene of many industrial disputes when the automatic mail-sorting machinery which was supposed to sort efficiently, actually destroyed many letters. It became known as the Redfern Mangler."
Pemulwuy project plan (for Scott and Jess)
Here's a link to development drawings of the block you might want to take a look it if you havent already..
http://www.redwatch.org.au/RWA/statesignificant/eveleighstreet/ahc/061115ahc/view
http://www.redwatch.org.au/RWA/statesignificant/eveleighstreet/ahc/061115ahc/view
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