Recently I had the pleasure of being part of a collaborative project organized by 823 entitled “Neighbo(u)r”. 200 rolls of expired film were sent all across the globe to picture takers from all walks of life with the intent for them to capture what the word “neighbour” meant to them.
“823 celebrates the simple beauty of everyday life and the people in it that inspire us”
When I received my roll in the mail I had to sit with the concept for a bit. As someone who spent most of their childhood in a neighbourhood that defines its inhabitants I remembered feeling distant from that definition growing up. I moved around a lot before settling in Deep Cove so the idea of “home” being a place never really resonated with me. I had internal struggles of wanting to belong yet feeling like an outsider throughout my upbringing. I was a “Cove Rat” by naturalization; I had never felt like I had truly belonged. Yet I had always possessed this idealistic concept of what I wanted my life to look like during those years.
My youth was filled with feelings of loneliness and romanticism of what could’ve been—a longing for nostalgia that I still have. I decided to revisit this time and capture what was close to me. Subjects that I had deemed all too familiar—my neighbourhood and the people within it. So I set out, camera in hand, to take further examine the wonderful people and places that surround me that I had taken for granted for so long. And I took the opportunity to integrate my past by framing my current reality through a nostalgic lens.
Expired film posed as a challenge (as well as an advantage). Expired film inherently creates a feeling of “time gone by” but it is really difficult to work with. Unexpected results are a certainty but I think that just added to the excitement to it. This was my first time working with the medium so I definitely learned a lot about how finicky expired film can be. I believe its imperfections complimented the characters that lived inside (and outside) of these frames. Showing that an image doesn’t need to be “perfect” to evoke a feeling.
All the images from this project were compiled and went on exhibition in Perth, Sydney, Auckland, and Tokyo. This was my first time having my work on display in a gallery setting and even though I didn’t get to see it with my own two eyes I am extremely grateful. This project was also published as a newspaper that was available on 823’s shop (which is now sold out). Additionally I am grateful to be 1 of 16 photographers who were chosen to be featured and were asked some additional questions about “Neighbo(u)r.”
This project forced me to simplify my process and really get back down to the grass roots of what photography is all about: telling a story. It’s so easy to complicate the photographic process getting caught up with gear, makeup artists, etc. and as a result many people lose the meaning behind their images. For this project I left the house with a cheap second hand camera that cost under $100 and a single word prompt. It stripped the art of taking photos down to its simplest form.
A massive thank you to Regan Mathews (aka Ta-ku) for organizing this project as well as to everyone involved. And a special thanks to my neighbours: Josh, Jonah, Ben, Jordan, Clayton, Jack, Zack, Tatenda, Tyler, Tara, Paulo, and Thomas (as well as my little brother).
See more photos of my neighbours here and explore the other participants’ submissions here.
—MM