Historical information

Nicholas West 1988
Entrant No. 66
Ref: Series 34, Items 82-86

SHIRE OF ELTHAM COMMUNITY PHOTOGRAPHIC SURVEY

Photography is an artform which many of us practice, sometimes purely for artistic pursuit, sometimes to record the people and events in our lives.

In 1988, as part of a local Bicentennial project, the Shire of Eltham conducted the Eltham Community Photographic Survey. Up to 100 entries were to be selected by a panel of photographers for entry into the Eltham Photographic Survey Exhibition. Entries had to be submitted by May 13, 1988. Entrants whose images were selected for the exhibition were contacted and requested to further submit an entry form providing entrant’s name, area of residence, age, and proposed captions. These details were then used to produce labels for the exhibition mounts. Where negatives had not been supplied, these were requested to support the display of printed enlargements mounted on 10” x 8” cardboard. The mounted prints were made available post exhibition for sale at $8.50 each for colour prints and $7.00 for B&W prints.

Residents in the Shire were invited to collect a free roll of film and take a photograph of what they either liked or did not like about the area. A total of 160 entrants submitted multiple entries for the exhibition. Of those selected for exhibition, entrants ranged in age from 9 to 70 years. All custom colour and black and white printing for the exhibition was completed by Wattle Studios of Eltham.
The Eltham Photographic Survey was jointly auspiced by the Shire of Eltham and Wattle Studios, of 953 Main Road, Eltham.

The project was greatly assisted by:
• David McRitchie, Media Studies Lecturer Victoria College, Rusden Campus.
• Ian and Annette Toohill of Wattle Studios
• Tracy Naughton, Eltham Community Arts Officer
• Neville Emerson Pty. Ltd.
• Superior Press, Eltham
• Kodak Australasia Pty. Ltd.
• Agfa Gevaert Ltd.
• Townsend Colourtech Pty. Ltd.
• The Australian Bicentennial Authority
• Eleanor Bowers, Secretary, Eltham Arts Council

The exhibition was placed on display in the Woolworths Arcade, Eltham between Monday June 6th and Saturday June 11, 1988. It was also intended to hold the exhibition at a venue in the Shire’s North Riding from Monday, June 20 to Friday June 24. It was then displayed at the Were Street Theatre, Montmorency from Friday, June 24 to Thursday, July 7.

Series 34: Eltham Community Photographic Survey 1988 - Prints & Documentation
Series consists of 117 photographs of Shire scenes taken by members of the community.
Items I - 41 are larger photographs mounted on card, which were exhibited.
Items 42 - 117 are unmounted copies, alternative takes and other entries.

Corresponding negatives contained in Series 35: Eltham Community Photographic Survey 1988 – Negatives which consists of 267 colour and B&W negatives and one colour slide of Shire scenes taken by members of the community. The negatives are arranged by the entrant number of the photographer.

Significance

The Eltham Community Photographic Survey collection is significant to the local community as it was curated by the local community - ordinary people of all ages - representing what they liked and did not like in the area where they lived. It represents an unfiltered representation of the Shire of Eltham as it was in 1988. It also represents one of many projects as part of the national programme of events and celebrations to commemorate the bicentenary. It is a time capsule of life in the 1980s of this urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north.