f5: Footscray in Transition

f5: Footscray in Transition was a five-year digital media project that aimed to creatively capture evolving urban, environmental, social and cultural changes in Footscray from 2011 to 2016. Each year a photographer and/or digital media artist was commissioned to interpret ten familiar landmarks in Footscray, resulting in a series of photographic images on display to the public. While F5 provides an invaluable record of change, the project is by no means a ‘documentary’ exercise.

F5: Footscray in Transition 2016 short film by Kip Scott.

2011: Karenne Rees

10 sites, presenting the human, commercial, every day - and occasionally elegant - side of Footscray, were presented in an exhibition of photographs by local artist-photographer, Karenne Rees. Karenne’s images are a very personal response to a place she has lived and worked in over a number of years which has fed the content of her diverse arts practice.

Enlarged photographs of the ten sites were printed onto adhesive vinyls and installed on shop windows in Paisley and Albert Streets, Footscray (the former Forges department stores). Along with the images, f5: Footscray in Transition project included reflective written responses to the sites from Victoria University staff and students, coordinated by novelist and lecturer, John Weldon.

2013: Pierre Vairo

The ten sites were photographed by Pierre Vairo, a local emerging photographic artist, and the resulting images projected onto the eastern side of the Footscray Town Hall. Pierre was selected based on his capacity to create images that are striking and dramatic in nature and suitable for projection onto a highly textured surface.

This project was mentored and developed in collaboration with experienced new media artist Nick Azidis, director Projection Teknik.

2015: James Voller

James Voller photographed the ten sites and exhibited them as black and white framed prints. Footscray presented an interesting dichotomy for Voller, as a suburb that has juxtapositions of old and new and is in a state of flux. This inspired the artist to reflect on the existing structures with an historic presence in the suburb and prompted the addition of photographic public art installations exploring themes around ‘home’, ‘place’ and ‘belonging’ across Footscray.

2016: Kip Scott 

Yarraville freelance photographer and video artist, Kip Scott was commissioned for the final instalment of the F5: Footscray in Transition photographic project. Kip Scott used dramatic lighting effects – shooting at dawn and dusk - and a range of angles to create his dynamic photographic and video works.

More information

Download the f5: Footscray in Transition Catalogue.(PDF, 3MB)