Stepping back with Past/Lives

It will be of no surprise to anyone who has ever looked at anything we have ever done, that we are past fetishists.

Bonnet dramas, edwardian fashion, mid-century knick-knacks and Dickens Dickens Dickens!

We recently discovered a local blog from Sydney-sider Michael Wayne 'Past/Lives' and were absolutely enthralled.

Now // East Village Hotel, Darlinghurst

Then // The Tradesman's Arms Hotel

The premise is simple - seeing the past glimpsed through it's bastardised present: "...uncover the secrets, reveal the hidden parts and tell the forgotten stories of Sydney using the clues that have been left behind through the years."

For all it's pretti-nesses, we've always loved Sydney for the combination it has of extremes of both the beautiful and the ugly. Looking at the timelines from then to now is both sad and somehow illuminating. As if you've just glimpsed a secret that no one else saw or knows about...

KC Beauty Centre // Cut and Comb hairdressing Hurstville NSW

Sharpies Golf House / Harmex / Derelict, Sydney NSW

Rockdale Furnishers / Cash Converters, Rockdale, NSW

Mrs N. Prior Clothing / A1 Cut Price Flowers / Nothing, Kogarah NSW

Michael adds his own memories (real or imagined) and ramblings to each post in an utterly hilarious and frank way, making each post a delightful read. And the detail! Our hats are tipped to his commitment to seeking the true histories of such minutiae.

It reminded us a little of 'Abandoned' one of our favourite catagories from the amazing Retronaut Blog where rotting theme parks and office buildings are photographed in all their current decay, so far removed from the glories of the past.

Abandoned // Buffalo Central Station

We highly recommend making a cup of tea and taking a trip through the back streets of Sydney's commercial past with Past/Lives

xo
g&j