The Art of Looking

I have often got up from working at my computer to do a quick stretch around the neighbourhood.

Yet, I think I’ve seen it, but never really taken it in.

I challenge each of you to grab your camera and go hunting heritage. My usual 20 minute loop of the 4 blocks in my part of Marrickville took me about an hour, but revealed so much more than I’d ever noticed about the homes near me. The range of housing styles including colonial, Federation, Art Deco, interwar and modern units somehow meld together in harmony. Few dominate in an opposing way. The units seem to sit on the outskirts of the blocks near the busy road, and seem to take their place too.

I could do a whole geometry lesson on the shapes and patterns I found. So on trend chevron patterns, twisting columns and brickwork taking the ordinary into something more appealing.

3, 4 and 5 sided shapes. How many different types of irregular pentagons can you find?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but through the camera lens beauty seemed to jump out from everywhere.

Yet as much as I discovered more and more about the wonderful homes in my area, mysteries started yelling at me to be solved. Oh, to have the time. After all I went out to take a break from my work!

Sign above garage. What does it say? (Click for larger image)

Was this always a garage? Why does it have a “corner” wall?

“Allonby” .. when was this home built? When was it turned into flats.

This is what I call, the art of looking!