suburb No 12: Marrickville

I have been itching to explore Marrickville ever since a regular follower of 52 Suburbs suggested it. 
I've been before, many times, but only to visit friends at their homes. Never once have I walked down 
the main street, only ever driving through it, impatient to get to where I was going. So when I hopped
out of my car this week with a reason - an excuse - to stick my nose in to churches, homes and people's 
faces I felt as if I was visiting an entirely new suburb ...


Part 1: Chockful of churches




the church with the blue light atop, St Brigids





Spiro and his beads





that light





St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church





Father





time for reflection





feed the soul (Lien Hoa Buddhist Temple)



Part 2: Little Greece, Vietnam and Germany

from the continent all the way to China

neighbours (cake shop and the deli)


 
you wouldn't want to be a vegetarian

the secret to longevity? (Chinese herbs :: Vietnamese couple in their late 80's)

Concordia, the German Club

Part 3: Good sports

the Marrickville Bowling Club

ladies of the lawn

how's your aim?

Newtown Jets legend (Frank Farrell :: Henson Park where the Jets still play rugby league)

different religions

Part 4: The changing face of Marrickville

taking the bull by the horns - the old butchers shop, now architect office (Mackenzie Pronk)

house (to be) and garden (model by Mackenzie Pronk)

fantasy versus reality (model by Mackenzie Pronk)

stick 'em up!

i see bananas in your winged dragon

fresh face

i wondered if he changed his hat when he goes back to work at the building site

Part 5: Reversing our consuming ways

it's all very serious (mannequins from Reverse Garbage)

before and after (frames from Reverse Garbage)

in the pink (elastic from Reverse Garbage)

Part 6: Random otherness

i'm a fan

orange flowers

soft and spiky

these could come in handy

Beauty... Marrickville seems to have a little of everything. A mix of industrial, residential and 
commercial. People from all over the planet. A great big old river. Churches of every description. 
A couple of social clubs and a place you can save a mannequin or a piano from the scrap heap. Not 
to mention some of the finest examples of chipped ceramic tiles and rusty garden gates 52Suburbs 
has seen so far. No wonder everyone from Newtown is moving there.

Other news...

The 52 Suburbs Corner Shop is open! As you'll see I'm starting small. I hope you can grab a moment 
and go and check it out - if you have any questions or comments please email me, I'd love to hear 
from you. See you next week.

suburb No 11: Bondi

Bondi? Not exactly off the beaten track or undiscovered I know. I had planned to go north, a lot
further north than Australia's most famous beach. So what happened? I took a look at the Sculpture 
by the Sea exhibition that currently snakes around Bondi's coastline and decided I really needed to 
possess it, in a photographic sense. I didn't have the time to do that and a separate 52 Suburbs 
post so I decided to break my own rules and focus on a suburb I know only too well.

But this is not Bondi as glamour scene. This is the Bondi that happens just once a year, when 
thousands descend on the suburb to gawk at sculptured art rather than chiselled bodies.

My take on it? To find a partner from everyday, ordinary Bondi to keep their more highfalutin 
friends company out there on the lonely wind-swept headland...


temporary housing Morgan Shimeld, traced tower




nests Serena Horton, sanctuary




constant movement Phil Price, morpheus




what a whirl Kelly-Ann Lees, heliocidaris tuberculata




these diamonds are not forever Miik Green, yeah...




my, what big eyes you have Tim & Shayn Amber Wetherell, eye sea you




lighten up Nicholas Elias, a symbolic inscription of the imaginary




hanging around Tracy Luff, rising tension III




where are my sunnies? Lucy Humphrey, alchemy




through rose-coloured glasses Nicholas Elias, a symbolic inscription of the imaginary




you star Greg Johns, pattern III




hold on to your hats 1 Alejandro Propato, arte de las playas




i can see the sea Michael Snape, the sea




i got my new shoes on BAM, step by step




seems like it's Jessica Watson's (the girl sailing around the world) Giuliana De Felice, signs of 2009




running for your life Barbara Lich, chaos and order




one step at a time Angela Femia & Julie Card, going up?




hold on to your hats 2 Alejandro Propato, arte de las playas




can I come and play with you? Suzie Bleach & Andy Townsend, subterfuge




shoe fetish BAM, step by step




hold on to your hats 3 Alejandro Propato, arte de las playas




V is for Vespa Frank Malerba, scooter girls




don't sit on it! Philip Spelman, between the lines




lovely curves Glazar + James, eye see you

And a few non-sculpture pairings to round it out a little...



it's not that black and white




aqua world




flower power





must be love


Bondi has its less than beautiful side but its cliffs and their current visitors - of the sculpture variety - 
are pretty special. If you've been to the exhibition I wonder what your favourites were - mine was the 
yellow bendy thing (morpheus). For those who haven't been you've got until this Sunday. 

Next week 52 Suburbs will be out of town so I'm afraid there will be no suburb. It feels strange, 
like I'm abandoning my post (literally) and letting you down. But I'm sure you'll cope and I promise 
to play catch up another week or it'll be a sad 51 Suburbs situation.

I'll also have more news about the Corner Shop by then. Have a great week and I'll see you in two 
Fridays time.