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Newtown: my street in the City Night

Blog: Newtown: my street in the City Night

from Pool team, 12.06.09

One of Pool’s interns Amelia has been working on the team since the start of the year. As a Newtown local, she’s guest blogging about new work on Pool set in the inner-city of Sydney. Warning: these entries will inspire you to contribute that last-minute entry for City Nights (closes Monday).

"I’ve lived around or in Newtown for more than a year now, so I’m unsurprised that so many new works being uploaded to Pool are set in or involved with the spaces, places and people of the locale. It’s a creatively driven, open-minded and performative suburb, with its streets filled with buskers, poets and artists.

Both the City Nights project and the My Street project are attracting Newtown stories. Contributors such as ABC’s Gretchen Miller and Astrobruce  are uploading multiple works that engage with Newtown and its adjacent suburbs. My own photography features the backdrop of Newtown too.

Other Newtown photographers include Christine Pizutti whose City Nights work features the ribbons of light on a traffic-filled Newtown night. Stack’s image of Newtown Night, which I’ve used as the feature image for this blog post, captures the corner of Eliza St where locals loiter after a night of beer and conversation as cars and other things pass through under the streetlights.

One of my personal favourites is Newtown City Limits, a short video documentary by A Gibson which is based on interviews with local figures of Newtown, from the Chicken Shop Guy to the Townie Bouncer. GDH's No Rest In Stanmore features Newtown and Marrickville as well as the title suburb, and joins other works such as A Polish Winter Night In Newtown by Tui in featuring the local authorities in recounts of personal experiences in the Inner West.

Whether it’s the police or the ambulance, a love affair or a homeless man, the rain or the lights or the smells, Newtown is inspiring users to write, photograph and share their experiences with Pool. It might be even worth starting a Newtown group, or even eventually holding a Pool Newtown meet-up or creative event. What do you think?"

Of course Newtown is just one suburb in one city of Australia. Are there any similar creative areas near you?

Please feel free to comment on this blog post as we always love to hear your comments and thoughts. Log-in to Pool and you’ll see a comment box below this post. If you’re not a member, take a moment to join Pool first.

Image City Nights by Stack.

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