Here and now: Waterloo by Fiona Wolf-Symeonides

Venue: Metcalfe Auditorium, Ground Floor, Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Location: State Library of NSW
1 Mar - 17 Jun, 2018
Web: http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/events/here-and-now-waterloo

In 2015, the New South Wales State Government announced plans to redevelop the suburbs of Waterloo and Redfern – areas densely concentrated with public housing buildings – demolishing the existing housing stock (including the twin towers ‘Matavai’ and ‘Turanga’, the 30-storey blocks formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1977), and replacing it with a mix of public and privately owned apartment buildings. The revitalised suburbs will be served by the new Waterloo underground station as part of the proposed Sydney metro line.

I also visited a Russian family and met three generations who have grown up in the Waterloo housing estate.
Marina: “The kids used to be scared because people at the parks and in buildings can be rowdy. You also find needles everywhere. Every floor is different. It depends on your neighbours.” “I used to have to go to the toilet with an umbrella, due to leakage. The maintenance is bad. Living here, you don’t want to look like you have money. You don’t even want to dress nice. However, the security system that is in place is very positive and helpful.”
From the series, Waterloo. © Fiona Wolf. — I also visited a Russian family and met three generations who have grown up in the Waterloo housing estate. Marina: “The kids used to be scared because people at the parks and in buildings can be rowdy. You also find needles everywhere. Every floor is different. It depends on your neighbours.” “I used to have to go to the toilet with an umbrella, due to leakage. The maintenance is bad. Living here, you don’t want to look like you have money. You don’t even want to dress nice. However, the security system that is in place is very positive and helpful.”
From the series, Waterloo. © Fiona Wolf.

This exhibition includes 20 framed prints of the photos Fiona Wolf-Symeonides took in 2017 of the Waterloo housing estate. She was drawn to the area and has documented the community as it exists now, capturing the people, streetscapes, and buildings in the lead up to the change. The photographs, recently acquired by the Library, highlight the diversity of the community and the individuals and families who call Waterloo home.

Follow this link to see more of the project.

From the series, Waterloo. © Fiona Wolf.

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