Perth Voice Interactive

INTERNATIONAL photographer Nigel Bennet is documenting William Street as the area’s new artist-in-residence.

A joint project between Vincent city council and Form, the Anglo-American traveller is asking locals what the street means to them.

His three-stage process is designed to remove as much of his own subjectivity as possible.

“The idea of the work is to put as many obstacles between my own subjectivity and the final image…”

For step one, “I’m asking people about places around the William Street area that has relevance for them. It could be something significant to their lives, or it could be the most banal thing about the area. Then I pass that to another group of people and I ask them to react, to tell me about something that’s happened to them, or something historical that’s happened in that place.”

He then passes it on to a third party who helps him set up a photo in that location responding to the event: “The third person will think about what that means for them personally in their own lives, how they relate to that information, and we try to make a scenario that they can basically act out.

“The idea of the work is to put as many obstacles between my own subjectivity and the final image. I hope it’ll say something more than just my own opinion as an outsider.”

With a background in anthropology, he’s learned since his arrival that the area has had lots of waves of immigration for a century, but the way people move on has proved a difficulty.

“This has been the most frustrating part. Mostly people who know how the area was 10 years ago are not living there now.”

If you have a tale about William Street or live in the area, get in touch with Form curator Andrew Nicholls on 9226 2799.

by DAVID BELL